Philippines • Typhoon Megi Situation Report No
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Philippines • Typhoon Megi Situation Report No. 4 25 October 2010 This report was issued by OCHA New York based on inputs from OCHA Philippines. It covers the period from 22- 25 October 2010. This is the final Situation Report for Typhoon Megi. For a full NDRRMC report on the Government response, please visit www.ndcc.gov.ph I. HIGHLIGHTS • Almost two million people were affected by Typhoon Megi (locally named Juan) in six Regions of Luzon, according to the NDRRMC. The most affected Provinces are Isabela in Region II and Pangasinan in Region I. • Emergency Shelter was the primary need identified by the Government and confirmed by assessment teams. • A total of 30,206 houses were destroyed and 115,584 houses partially damaged by Typhoon Megi, according to NDRRMC. • The agriculture sector in Isabela Province, which had already been seriously affected by Typhoon Parma in 2009 and on-going La Niña drought, was further devastated by Typhoon Megi. Isabela was the main producer of corn and second producer of rice in the country, according to the Department of Agriculture. • There has been no official request for international assistance. This is the final Situation Report. II. Situation Overview Typhoon Megi (locally named Juan) made landfall as a Category 5 Typhoon in the mountain range of Sierra Madre, Isabella Province, Cagayan Region (Region II) at 11:25 a.m. Manila time on 18 October 2010. Gale force winds reaching up to 260 km per hour and heavy rains were experienced throughout Ilocos (Region I), Region II, Central Luzon (Region III) and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). According to the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Update (No. 22), as of 25 October 422,745 families (1,980,014 people) in 3,330 Barangays were affected by Typhoon Megi. Casualties stand at 31 deaths and 42 injuries, with four people reported missing. Many evacuees and typhoon-affected people residing in Evacuation Centers have returned to their places of origin to rebuild their lives. As of 25 October, only 1,628 families (6,719 people) remained in Evacuation Centers (down from 23,127 people in 170 Evacuation Centers reported in the last Situation Report on 21 October). The majority of roads are now accessible and power is being restored. The Government has not requested international assistance. Emergency shelter needed: The powerful typhoon winds of up to 260 kilometres per hour caused significant damage to housing, resulting in an immediate need for emergency shelter. A total of 30,206 houses were destroyed and 115,584 houses partially damaged by Typhoon Megi, according to NDRRMC. Shelter was worst affected in Isabela Province in Region II, which experienced the strongest wind gusts from Typhoon Megi (see the Situation Map on damaged houses below). Access difficulties: Within Isabela Province, the three coastal towns fronting the Pacific Ocean, Maconacon, Palanan and Divilacan, bore the brunt of Typhoon Megi as it made landfall in the Philippines. The three towns are virtually inaccessible due to the Sierra Madre mountain range, but assessment teams and Government food relief have now reached these areas by air. Typhoon impact to the Fourth Quarter Production of Rice and Corn: Typhoon Megi’s impact on commercial rice production for the Philippines is estimated at 15.34 per cent of the 1,860,395 hectares planned for The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. harvest throughout the country from October to December 2010. The damage to the corn harvest is estimated at 2.4 per cent of the 645,695 hectares harvestable in the fourth quarter. Tropical Storm Chaba: Tropical Storm Chaba (locally named Katring) is located 770 kilometres to the East of Northern Luzon and is moving in a West North-Westerly direction toward Japan at 20 kilometres per hour. It is not forecast to cause weather disturbance or make landfall in the Philippines, according to PAGASA. III. Humanitarian Response Needs Assessments and Priorities Needs assessments feedback indicates that the priority is for emergency shelter assistance (particularly shelter repair kits). Feedback from various needs assessments is incorporated into the Cluster Updates below. Agriculture Agriculture Needs: According to the initial damage report, the consolidated impact of Typhoon Megi in Regions I, II, III and CAR includes losses to agriculture amounting to PhP 8.22 billion (US$ 190 million). Damage to rice crops constituted the greatest loss, with approximately 285,447 hectares of rice lands affected. This resulted in losses of 314,577 MT of palay (un-milled rice) worth PhP 5.35 billion from 17 provinces. Approximately 15,474 hectares of corn were affected, resulting in losses of 25,812 MT of corn worth PhP 348.42 million. Of the area affected, 105 hectares have been assessed as unrecoverable while 15,369 hectares could be recovered. An estimated 4,107 hectares of High Value Commercial Crops were affected, resulting in losses of some 17,583 MT of vegetables and fruits. Lost livestock and poultry account for a loss of PhP 4.75 million. The fisheries sector lost PhP 49.94 million, with the loss of products from 208 hectares of fishponds and 98 fish cages and five payaos (fishing rafts) damaged in Cagayan and Isabela Provinces. Response: The Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing a rehabilitation plan to support typhoon-affected farmers, supported by field assessments and damage verification by DA and Local Government Units (LGU). The plan provides certified palay seeds at one bag per hectare to severely affected rice farmers. For farms not severely damaged, the plan will subsidise half of the cost of one bag of certified seeds. FAO remains on stand-by to assist in the conduct of post disaster needs assessment, jointly with DA and other government counterparts. Gaps: Lack of information on actual damage and affected farmers and fishers remains a challenge in planning appropriate response Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) and NFI Needs: According to NDRRMC, there are now only 1,628 families (or 6,719 individuals) sheltered in 32 Evacuation Centers in Regions I and II. This figure reflects a significant decrease in the number of displaced families from the 23,788 persons reported in Situation Report No.3 (21 October). The decrease in the number of displaced is consistent with reports by local officials that families who evacuated either prior to (pre-emptive evacuation) or following the typhoon are returning to their homes. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) monitoring and reports from other Clusters and humanitarian agencies operating in the affected areas indicate that no major concerns were reported in these Evacuation Centers. The CCCM/NFI Cluster, through DSWD, will validate the situation within the Evacuation Centers to determine humanitarian needs of the displaced families. The CCCM/NFI Cluster is also gathering information on the situation of displaced people staying with host families (relatives and neighbours), to enable the Cluster to advise on the needs of the displaced staying outside of the Evacuation Centers. Response: On 22 October, a meeting of the CCCM/NFI Cluster was convened by DSWD. The Cluster will collect more detailed information on the Evacuation Centers, including the cause of continued displacement The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. 2 and the displaced families’ projected length of stay. The CCCM/NFI Cluster participated in the joint NDRRMC and Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) assessment in the worst affected areas of Isabela Province, where reports of people leaving the Evacuation Centers were validated. The movement out of the Evacuation Centers has highlighted the urgent need for emergency shelter assistance and essential non-food items. Information gathered by the DSWD regional offices will inform the cluster as to whether additional support is required to provide for the needs of the displaced and other affected families. In the meantime, the HCT informed the Cluster of available in-country stocks that could support the Government’s response. Food Security Needs: DSWD-led food relief operations are ongoing in typhoon-affected areas. Distributions, which address immediate food needs, include family packs of rice, sardines, noodles and supplementary rations of high energy biscuits (HEBs) for the hardest hit municipalities. The joint Government/HCT assessment found that while some farmers were able to harvest crops (rice and corn) prior to the typhoon, warehouses and milling infrastructure were damaged. Household interviews revealed a total loss of income among families with totally destroyed houses. Families were dependent on food from family packs provided by the Government, as well as on support from neighbours. Markets were functioning and the typhoon has not had a significant impact on supplies, although prices have increased (rice went from PhP 28 to PhP 32 in two days). Negative coping strategies included (a) reduction in the number of meals per day (two from three); (b) borrowing food/money from neighbours; and (c) temporary suspension of regular income earning activities to focus on the immediate need of rehabilitating shelter and key infrastructure. Inland municipalities of Isabela that were assessed reported that food was among the most urgent needs, along with shelter / rehabilitation, water and livelihoods. Urgent early recovery support is required when short-term food relief is completed. Response: Resources to address food needs will be required in response to potential short and long-term food insecurity caused by the typhoon. Through LGUs, DSWD provides 3-5Isabela kg Provincerice and Food two Distribution cans of Centre fish, along with blankets.