The country houses about 1.9 million people in an area of 47,000 square kilometres, nearly the same size as Denmark or Switzerland. The most prevalent natural hazards are violent storms coming down from the Himalayas and frequent landslides during the rainy season. However, during the last decades, the only recorded major disasters occurred in 1994, when the country experienced a devastating cyclone in May, which claimed 17 lives and affected nearly 65,000 people, and floods in October, in which 22 people were killed and 600 affected. A detailed official report on the flood situation is not yet available. According to initial information, the road network suffered extensive damage.
Numerous roads remain blocked due to landslides and erosion.
Many trucks, buses and other vehicles were submerged and the main water supply in the affected area was cut off when water pipes burst. More than a thousand people have been left homeless and are in temporary shelters. While road clearance and emergency repair are expected to last two weeks, further heavy rainfall may hamper the ongoing efforts to alleviate the situation. The disrupted road network already has an impact on daily life in inland areas, even in the capital Thimphu. There is fuel rationing, lack of meat and vegetable products, rise in prices of staple commodities, and an increase of public transportation costs.