ADB provides Bt93m in emergency grant toward recovery efforts
Play
The Asian Development Bank is providing emergency assistance of US$3 million (Bt93 million) to help Thailand get back on its feet in the wake of the country's worst flooding in more than half a century.
“The scale and magnitude of the floods are immense, and this grant will help Thailand address some of the most immediate, pressing needs,” Craig Steffensen, ADB’s country director, said yesterday.
The floods, sparked by heavy rain in August and September, have left more than 600 people dead and inundated homes, farmland and businesses, including parts of Greater Bangkok.
All affected provinces have been declared disaster areas and growth in gross domestic product could decline by as much as 2 percentage points as a result of the devastation.
The ADB’s grant will support the provision of food, water and other essential services to people who have been forced to flee their homes and others affected by the floods.
It will be coordinated with assistance provided by other development partners, including the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union, Japan and the United States.
The grant comes from the ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, which was established in 2009 to provide quick-disbursing grants to help countries affected by natural calamities attain their immediate needs.
It also helps bridge the gap ahead of longer-term post-disaster reconstruction assistance and disaster risk-reduction initiatives.
