Emergency Response to the Humanitarian Crisis Caused by the Destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam

Despite heavy rains and thunderstorms, local authorities and humanitarians continue to evacuate people and support affected communities; however, the weather conditions are hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance and are expected to worsen the impact of the dam's destruction. According to the regional administration, as of the morning of 12 June, 3,801 houses were flooded in 32 settlements on the right bank of the Dnipro River. There are also 540 submerged households in Mykolaiv Oblast. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the situation is particularly dire; according to local authorities, more than 160,000 people are without water.

Novokairy, a small village in the Mylivska Hromada, is now on the verge of survival after the dam was blown up. On 8 June, we delivered 20,736 litres of drinking water to the village, thanks to financial support from the European Union and the EU's Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid programme.

"Right now, the main need of the population, we understand, is water. And hygiene as well. With your support, we have received food and fuel briquettes for the whole community," says Lyubov Minko, Head of Civil Military Administration Mylove Village.

"Every day, the water outflow is simply colossal. I've spent my childhood on the banks of this river, and now it is just running away. We are terrified by the fact that we may run out of drinking water tomorrow," adds Olena Lohvynenko, Principal of Novokairy District. 

As part of the same support programme, our team delivered drinking water to three more settlements in Kherson Oblast: 26,484 litres were delivered to Novooleksandrivka; 10,368 litres to Kachkarivka; and 41,976 litres to Novovorontsovka. 

"Today, we made the first water delivery. We also plan to deliver water here every week. And we also understand that we are now in the countryside. Most people here now don't have a job, and they survive on agriculture. If there is no water, if they cannot water their gardens, the people will be on the verge of survival from a food security perspective," says Serhii Saienko, East Region Director, People in Need.

In Dnipro Oblast, to support the settlements which remain without water supply, we delivered 14,400 liters of drinking water and 5 water tanks for the storage of 25,000 liters of water. We are continuing our diverse assistance to the affected areas. 

The destruction of the dam has triggered a new wave of evacuations. According to the Ukrainian Government, the number of people seeking shelter has already increased to more than 2,700, including 190 children and nearly 80 people with limited mobility. Some of these people are met daily at the Lviv railway station by our staff, psychologists, and volunteers from the foundation "Kryla Nadiyi". 

"Everything was washed away. We had a house, and it's gone. We got married there, had three children in that house, and raised our grandchildren there. It was our home, which we did not leave even when the city was under occupation. And now there is nothing left," says Liudmyla Rudenko from Kherson. Having escaped the flood, she and her husband, Olexander, are heading to Germany in the hope of meeting their daughter and grandchildren. 

"People in Need" supports families who arrive at the Lviv railway station fleeing shelling and flooding. Now, thanks to the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund's financial support, we can provide each evacuee with a travel kit containing food and hygiene items necessary for travellers. Since 1 March 2023, 5,500 people affected by the war have received such assistance. In addition, we provide quality psychological support. Every day, adults and children receive consultations from professional psychologists at both the evacuation point in Lviv and on our round-the-clock psychological support hotline: 0800210160.