For immediate release

Philippines: Plan International on standby for Goni, ready to deploy rapid assessment teams

Manila (31 October) – Child rights and humanitarian organisation Plan International is ready to respond as (local name: Rolly) continues to threaten the island of , and is expected to make landfall in area on Sunday, 1 November.

Plan International has activated rapid needs assessment (RNA) teams to assess the extent of the typhoon’s damage and needs of potentially affected communities in Luzon. Assessment will be done through close coordination with local risk reduction and management offices. Live-saving kits that range from emergency shelter, hygiene, water, and sanitation are prepositioned and being prepared for distribution.

Typhoon Goni, which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on 29 October, is expected to lash parts of Luzon, specifically Northern Luzon, , Southern Luzon and , even before its landfall.

In its latest advisory, state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reports that the typhoon has increased in strength and its threat over Central Luzon as it moves at 20 km/h, with maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h and gustiness of up to 265 km/h. If maximum sustained winds exceed 220 km/h, it will be classified as a super typhoon. PAGASA has also raised wind signals in affected areas across the country.

Typhoon Goni, which is also considered to be the world’s strongest tropical cyclone in 2020, has urged local officials to order the evacuation of thousands of residents in Luzon before the expected landfall.

To prepare for the typhoon’s onslaught, Plan International has been closely monitoring its path and the situation in areas currently anticipated in the storm’s path through local and global agencies. Plan International is also coordinating with its local partners in Luzon and to operationalize emergency response measures in affected areas.

“Typhoon Goni is following the previous typhoon’s track which increases the vulnerability of families and communities affected,” Plan International Country Director Ana Maria Locsin says. “We recognize this and our major concern remains ensuring that those affected have access to safe shelter, clean water, sanitation and hygiene, and reducing the impact of the disaster on the most vulnerable including women and children.”

Also responding to COVID-19, Plan International has expressed concern over increased risks that typhoon-hit families, especially evacuees, would face due to the pandemic. “Responding to an emergency in the face of a persisting health crisis makes it more challenging. We acknowledge that this requires a multi-sector approach. We are ready to work with the government, partners, and other key agencies to effectively address the needs of affected communities and mitigate the increased health and safety risks faced by displaced families,” Locsin adds.

According to National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Ricardo Jalad, Typhoon Goni is expected to be of equal strength as which hit the country last year and destroyed an estimated P6 billion in agriculture and infrastructure.

Typhoon Goni is the 18th tropical storm to hit the Philippines after which took the similar path and caused 22 casualties and nearly P2 billion damage to agriculture and infrastructure. Another typhoon, Atsani, is gaining strength just outside the Philippines.

Editor’s note:

Plan International has been working in the Philippines since 1961 and has played important roles in responding to previous , including and the Nepal Earthquakes. In the Philippines, we work in over 400 communities and are supporting 36,000 sponsored children in the provinces of , Northern , , Western Samar, and Central .

For further details and interview requests, contact:

Manila: Aly Narvaez, Communications Specialist Email: [email protected]

About Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.