At least 600,000 people in North Korea have been affected by heavy flooding that damaged or destroyed 30,000 homes, calling for urgent humanitarian aid ahead of the winter, Reuters cited the Red Cross as reporting. "The disaster hit, in many ways, at probably the worst time," said Chris Staines, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delegation in North Korea. The IFRC has been working with North Korea's Red Cross Society to deliver aid to northeastern communities that suffered the worst of the flooding caused by heavy rains in late August. Staines said "urgent action" was needed before the first snowfall expected in late October when temperatures fall below freezing, and can reach minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) in mid-winter. "This is seriously harsh conditions and that's why we need much more permanent solutions in terms of shelter, in terms of the health services and the access to food, and sorting out issues around safe water," he said. The IFRC has launched a 15.2 million Swiss Francs ($15.6 million) emergency appeal to reach more than 300,000 people with humanitarian assistance over the next 12 months.
