PHNOM PENH: Forty-eight families affected by the Stung Prek Tnaot flood in Phnom Penh's Kambol district have received a number of humanitarian donations from the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC), including rice, other food items, and other supplies.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 12 October, the Director of the Disaster Management Department, Dr. Uy Sam Ath, visited and brought CRC humanitarian donations to 48 families – 27 families in Prateah Lang district and 21 families in Boeung Thom district – who have been affected by the Stung Prek Tnaot flood in Phnom Penh's Kambol district. The donations were handed over at a safe location in Wat Sovan Ampor Svay Meas.

Humanitarian donations received by the victims include 25 kgs of rice, one box of noodles, 10 cans of sardines, six bottles of soy sauce, one kit (including a sarong, mosquito net, blanket, scarf and t-shirt), one bottle of soap, one bottle of hand sanitizer, and 20,000 riel (roughly US $5).

According to Dr. Uy Sam Ath, the CRC allocates only a small amount of donations to the victims while the National Committee for Disaster Management distributes the larger amount.

During the donation handover, the Director of the Disaster Management Department delivered a message on behalf of the President of the CRC, First Lady Bun Rany Hun Sen, expressing sympathy and condolences to the vulnerable people affected by the floods, heavy rain and other natural disasters caused by climate change.

Dr. Uy Sam Ath also delivered an appeal message from the First Lady as well, calling on the people to take good care of their hygiene and health, and to drink boiled water to prevent diarrhea and other diseases that spread more easily during floods.

The First Lady also stressed that citizens should be more careful to prevent drowning, and she further advised all affected families to do their best to clean their house and surrounding environment once the water recedes, and to continue cultivating crops and raising livestock to restore the family economy.

It should be noted that the visit and donation distribution to Stung Prek Tnaot flood victims took place on Wednesday, 12 October, and was attended by the Director of the Department of Disaster Management, Dr. Uy Sam Ath, and members of the Branch-Sub-Branch and CRC Branch Executive Team in Phnom Penh.