UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) — The World Food Programme (WFP) said that it is concerned about the food security of families affected by floods in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), especially with winter approaching, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

"Many families have lost not only their homes, but also their crops and livelihoods," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

WFP urgently needs 5.4 million U.S. dollars to help all people affected by floods, the spokesman said, adding that it currently faces a shortfall of 23 million U.S. dollars through next year for all of its programmes in the country.

In mid-September, the DPRK briefed diplomats from Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and India in Pyongyang on recent floods in the northeast and appealed for cooperation on disaster relief.

The floods have left 133 people dead and another 395 missing, according to a UN report issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The official news agency KCNA said in an earlier report that the floods were caused by the strongest storms and heaviest downpours since 1945.