| Severe floods hit nearby Bihar region in 2008 |
Recent heavy rain and flash floods across Vietnam and in India’s West Bengal State have made it a top priority for WSPA to assess the need for animals in the aftermath.
In southern West Bengal, flooding has affected hundreds of thousands of people, and, critically for livestock, most grazing land is underwater. A disaster assistance response team (DART) from WSPA India’s office is travelling to the region this weekend to meet with local partners and government officials to determine the potential need for animals in the coming days and weeks.
In Vietnam, 13 provinces have been affected by flash floods resulting from Tropical Storm Haima. In one central province, vaccinations of livestock for foot-and-mouth are already underway to prevent the spread of the disease. A DART from WSPA Asia, located in Bangkok, is leaving for Vietnam on 10 July. There, staff will meet with the government’s Department of Livestock Production to assess medical and food requirements in the immediate aftermath and recovery period.
In Japan, where 80,000 people are still living in evacuation centres following March’s earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, WSPA’s ongoing assistance continues. There remains a need for temporary and longer-term shelters for companion animals despite the fact that the government has now built 12,000 temporary homes, where residents can stay with their pets.
The WSPA temporary shelter in Ishinomaki has been relocated to a new site where it can remain for as long as required, and has taken in its full capacity of 130 animals. WSPA has additionally provided six more radiation monitors to assist volunteers still working with animals in Fukushima’s 30 km exclusion zone.
