Yonhap
8/11/2007
North Korea said Saturday that it is struggling to cope with flood damage across the country, but no deaths were reported.
Rice farms, residences and public buildings have been submerged or destroyed in dozens of regions due to heavy rain that started on Thursday, reported the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North’s official news outlet monitored in Seoul.
The North Korean government “has mobilized all of its capacity,” dispatching recovery workers to several regions, and “is working on projects to place people’s lives in good condition by sending daily necessities like medicine to those in damaged regions,” the report stated. No deaths were mentioned.
Meanwhile, “showers and heavy rains … are continuing in many regions” of the country, it added.
Up to 367 mm of rain fell in Pyonggang County in the country’s eastern Kangwon Province, while the capital, Pyongyang, received over 257 mm of rain in just three days.
Due to heavy deforestation, North Korea frequently suffers from flooding during the summer monsoon season. Last year, the South Korean government provided food and supplies to the communist country to help repair damage amid increased tension following Pyongyang’s July test-firing of several ballistic missiles into the East Sea.
