Disasters in Cambodia

The main flood risks affect the Mekong, Tonle Sap, areas exposed to heavy rain and urban settlements. Drought and water shortages affect agriculture particularly in northwestern Cambodia and the Mekong and Tonle Sap areas. Tropical storms, lightning and fires also create substantial risks. Landslides, riverbank collapses and building collapses are more locally concentrated. Epidemics belong primarily to the health sector and are relevant here only when they form part of a wider disaster response. The CAMDI and National Committee for Disaster Management database recorded 12,511 disaster records from 1996 to 2023. Its recorded deaths included 1,243 from floods, 1,182 from lightning and 243 from storms. Recorded building damage included 74,556 buildings affected by storms, 34,211 by floods and 7,041 by fires. These figures are database indicators rather than a complete measure of every disaster or its prevalence. The Law on Disaster Management 2015 provides the national framework. The National Committee for Disaster Management, usually abbreviated as NCDM, leads and coordinates disaster management. Ministries appoint focal points, while provincial and city administrations, towns and districts, and commune committees handle responsibilities at subnational level. Disaster-risk reduction is also included in development planning. Authorities work through prevention and risk reduction, preparedness, emergency response and recovery. The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, known as MOWRAM, provides hydrological and meteorological monitoring. Its Flood Forecasting and Response Office and Department of Hydrology and River Works support daily flood forecasts, while the Department of Meteorology provides daily weather information. Provincial departments of water resources and meteorology pass information through provincial, district, commune and village structures. A typical warning pathway runs from monitoring and forecasting through provincial administration and NCDM coordination to community action. The short code 1294 connects to NCDM disaster-management services. The EWS-1294 warning system has documented language-based warnings, but access, registration and coverage vary locally. A nationwide multi-hazard warning system for storms, floods, droughts and lightning is being developed, with a focus on Ratanakiri, Kratie, Stung Treng and Banteay Meanchey during the 2026–2030 project period. Nationwide coverage remains an expansion objective rather than a completed service. Local authorities can activate emergency operations, search and rescue, medical care, life-protection measures and situation reporting. NCDM carries out rapid assessments, mobilizes resources and coordinates larger responses. For a major event, the Royal Government may declare a disaster situation and mobilize personnel and materials. Evacuation is normally organized locally: a warning is followed by an instruction, transport arrangements and movement to a shelter or safer place. Cambodia has no documented nationwide public shelter register or guaranteed accommodation system, so the available location and capacity must be checked locally. Keep identity documents, medicines, drinking water, a charged phone or power bank and the needs of children or people requiring assistance ready for evacuation. Do not drive or walk through floodwater. Police can be reached at 117, firefighters at 118, ambulances at 119 and disaster-management services at 1294, subject to network coverage and local availability. Assistance may involve NCDM, local committees, ministries, armed forces, public or private organizations, civil-society groups and international organizations. NCDM coordinates international assistance. Response planning gives priority to women, children, older people and people with disabilities, but Cambodia has no proven general individual disaster benefit or uniform nationwide compensation entitlement. After official activation, public or private assets, shelters and health centres may be mobilized; the law provides for reimbursement of mobilized assets, while the detailed procedure depends on the event and applicable sub-decree. Recovery includes rehabilitation and reconstruction. Roads, bridges, schools, health facilities, water-supply systems and agriculture are especially exposed and may require case-specific financing or assistance. Cambodia has no proven universal national disaster fund or automatic cash entitlement for every affected household. Forecasts are generally issued daily, while warnings, transport, assistance and shelter depend on the event, local capacity and current conditions. Official warning and emergency-call charges are not specified in the available national information.