Emergency Relief Brings Hope to Flood-Affected Families in Laos

Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it’s happening now.  Laos has been experiencing increasingly extreme climate events, including Tropical Cyclones Wutip and Wipha in July 2025. Combined with the heavy seasonal rainfall, these cyclones led to flooding in the Country, causing flash floods and landslides, and severely affecting the country. 1,698 households were affected in over 27 villages in three districts of Khammouan Province, in the central part of Laos. 

In the wake of such devastation, World Vision International Lao PDR declared the response needs based on the emergency for three districts: Mahaxay (target area), Hinboun, and Boualapha (non-target areas). This includes assessing the needs and coordinating emergency support, such as hygiene kits, for 24 villages comprising approximately 1,479 households, with the total estimated cost of USD 30,000 using WVIL NEPRF. Beyond immediate relief, this response reinforced community resilience and strengthened preparedness for future climate-related disasters.

“When Typhoon Wipha hit, water rose rapidly in front of my house while a landslide destroyed the neighbor's house at the back,” said Mrs. Phoxay, 29 years old mom with two children. 

Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it’s happening now. 1,698 households were affected in over 27 villages in three districts of Khammouan Province, in the central part of Laos. 

“I was worried about my two children because they were small and they didn’t know how to help themselves. Thankfully, I managed to get our two young children to a safe place”. Phoxay shared, she continued sharing, “I was scared…I had never experienced a flood like this, and by the time it came, I was really scared…The water was up to under the house and almost reached up where we stayed…we didn’t have a boat to move out from the house.” She recalled the day they had a flood that affected their home.

Phoxay had never seen anything like it. Water was everywhere; people were running around using a boat as their transportation; Phoxay’s family stayed home in the middle of the water twice a week and once for a week when the water went down. Phoxay’s rice field was destroyed, and she worried about her children's future. 

“This year, our village experiences flood impact for two times; the flood lasted for a week water went down. While we stayed home during the flood, we realized my husband was fishing for our consumption; we had no clean water or toilet. We used water from the water flow through the home, and this is a very difficult situation with my two small children.” Says Phoxay. 

Mrs. Phoxay ‘s family received the hygiene kit supported by the National Emergency Preparedness Response Fund (NEPRF) through World Vision International Lao PDR. “I am very happy with the hygiene kit set because this is very important and is very needful for our current situation. We can use it to clean our clothes and house, and for our hygiene, and this was first aid that we received after the flood. Thank you very much to the donors for your generosity,” Says Phoxay.