Emergency appeal n° MDRPH004 Philippines: GLIDE n° TC-2008-000093-PHL Operations update n° 3 24 September 2008 Typhoon Fengshen Period covered by this Operations Update: 28 July – 12 September 2008 Appeal target: CHF 8,310,213 (USD 8 million or EUR 5.1 million) Appeal coverage: To date, the appeal is 19 per cent1 covered. Funds are urgently needed to enable the Philippines National Red Cross to provide assistance to those affected by the typhoon. <click here to go directly to the interim financial report, or here to link to contact details > Appeal history: • A preliminary emergency appeal was launched on 24 June 2008 for CHF 8,310,213 (USD 8 million or EUR 5.1 million) for twelve months to assist 6,000 families. • Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): CHF 200,000 was allocated from the International Federation’s DREF. Dedicated volunteers enable the Philippine National Red Cross, with further support from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, to reach the most vulnerable communities with essential support, including water and shelter. 1 Including soft pledges; please note that interim financial report reflects income up to end August 2008. Click here to access the live donors’ response list. Philippines: Typhoon Fengshen (MDRPH004), Operations Update no. 3 2 Summary: The onslaught of typhoon Fengshen which hit the Philippines on 18 June 2008, followed by floods and landslides, has left in its wake urgent needs among poverty-stricken communities. According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), approximately four million people have been affected through out the country by typhoon Fengshen. More than 81,000 houses were totally destroyed and a further 326,321 seriously damaged. NDCC statistics indicated around two million people were affected on Panay Island, the area worst hit by the typhoon. To date, teams composed of 12 Southeast Asia regional disaster response team (RDRT) members and eight Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) RDRT-trained members conducted assessments in the typhoon- affected areas and identified the needs of those affected. In support of these four teams, two water and sanitation engineers from the American and German Red Cross Societies, accompanied by PNRC water and sanitation-trained staff, were also deployed. Detailed assessments of drinking water needs in the provinces of Aklan and Iloilo, where the typhoon triggered large-scale flooding, were conducted. Four mobile water treatment units have been providing water in these two provinces while a Swedish Red Cross mass water treatment emergency response unit (ERU) with a production capacity of 600,000 litres per day was deployed in Iloilo municipality and provided potable water to affected barangays (villages) until the end of August. Logistics preparations are now well under way with a logistics delegate in place and another arriving soon to support the operation in the reconstruction of at least 1,000 homes in the provinces of Iloilo and Aklan. The number of reconstructed transitional homes has been revised down to reflect current funding available. By combining the provision of clean water, sanitation facilities, hygiene education, preventive heath care and emergency relief, the Red Cross Red Crescent is working to ensure that families stay healthy as they work to rebuild their lives. Partner national societies which have made contributions to the appeal include: the American Red Cross, British Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross, Hong Kong branch of the Red Cross Society of China, Japanese Red Cross, Monaco Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, New Zealand Red Cross and Swedish Red Cross. A contribution has also been received from the Australian government. The International Federation, on behalf of the Philippines National Red Cross Society, would like to thank all partners who have so far contributed to this appeal. The situation Typhoon Fengshen entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as a tropical depression on 18 June 2008. As it made landfall in Eastern Visayas, it intensified into a typhoon. Fengshen compounded the effects of the southwest monsoon and triggering landslides, flooding and storm surges along the eastern and western seaboards, bringing severe damage to infrastructure and large numbers of directly affected persons, mainly in the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan and Antique on Panay Island and, to a lesser extent, in the provinces of Leyte and Eastern Samar. The provinces of Maguidanao and Shariff Kabunsuan in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Cotabato City and North Cotabato were also affected by flooding. Fengshen is the sixth typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2008, and swept across areas not usually affected by typhoons, catching many communities and the authorities by surprise. Many people sought refuge on roofs and trees until the water level subsided, revealing severe damage to roads and other public infrastructure including drinking water systems. There were 557 reported deaths (excluding the casualties of the MV Princess of the Stars); 87 missing and 826 injured. Latest figures from the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) state that more than 900,000 families (approximately four million people), were directly affected by typhoon Fengshen in 6,377 barangays out of 419 municipalities, in 58 provinces out of 15 regions. Panay Island has the most number of affected populations with 421,479 families (2,159,780 persons) or almost half of all families and persons affected. Philippines: Typhoon Fengshen (MDRPH004), Operations Update no. 3 3 Affected population in country Number Families 959,047 Persons 4,784,634 In evacuation centres Families 100,080 Persons 500,494 Out of evacuation centres Families 738,110 Persons 3,492,286 The NDCC reported a total of 81,510 completely destroyed and 326,321 damaged houses. Of these figures, 53,409 houses were destroyed on Panay Island, with 27,063 houses destroyed in the province of Iloilo and 14,199 in the province of Aklan. The total cost of damage both to infrastructure (roads, bridges, schools, etc.) and agriculture is estimated to be P 13,525 billion (CHF 322 billion); approximately 60 per cent of the total cost of damage was incurred in Panay Island. The ferry MV Princess of the Stars capsized and sank off the coast of the San Fernando municipality in Romblon on 21 June when it was caught in the path of Fengshen. High seas deterred the Philippine Coast Guard from rescue attempts after the ferry capsized. Of the 866 people on board, 51 survived while another 318 bodies were recovered from the wreckage. Others were recovered from surrounding coastal areas, together with those of fishermen who went missing at the height of the storm. In the meantime, most of the affected provinces show signs of returning to normal life. However, the typhoon has left in its wake exceptional needs amongst poverty stricken communities. While thousands of families continue to seek refuge with family members and friends, others are moving forward collecting whatever material and financial resources are available to them to rebuild shelters. The destructive impact of the typhoons affected houses as well as the natural resources that homes are traditionally built from, such as coconut wood and nipa plants, resulting in expensive building materials in the country. This poses a serious problem for many families as the in-country poverty rate is very high and opportunities to earn any extra income are limited. The rapid approach of the 2008 typhoon season, which usually takes place in the last four months of the year and set against the backdrop of increasingly volatile global weather patterns underscores the importance of developing a more thorough land allocation policy, accompanied by measures to facilitate the access to safe land by the poor. Poverty alleviation must include the allocation of land and funding, to address the structural vulnerability of thousands of families that are living as squatters on plots that are at high risk due to annually recurring floods, typhoons and landslides. Unless the appropriate measures are taken to ensure access to safe land for all, including the most vulnerable layers of society, any future typhoon will bring with it thousands of new homeless families requiring assistance. The land issue is on the agenda of government, UN agencies and other parties concerned. PNRC as a member of local society is involved in advocating for the communities which are vulnerable due to the lack of access to safe land. Red Cross and Red Crescent action The national society is supported by the International Federation in managing and planning this operation. The PNRC operation centre is on a 24/7 standby to update information and support the chapters in scaling up the operation. Up to 293 Red Cross volunteers were mobilized at headquarters as well as the chapters for relief distribution and assessment efforts in the most affected areas. To date, the PNRC has supported some 69,000 people in the various evacuation centres that provided emergency shelter. In addition, four “SETA” mobile water plants were deployed from the PNRCS headquarters to Iloilo and Aklan, each producing up to 15,000 litres of water per day for distribution. Two 10,000 litre and several 5,000 litre bladder tanks have also been sent to these areas for water storage. On 8 July 2008, a Swedish Mass water ERU arrived in Iloilo. Accompanying the ERU were four specialists and other related equipment. Philippines: Typhoon Fengshen (MDRPH004), Operations Update no. 3 4 The operation Typhoon Fengshen left the country on 23 June 2008, leaving behind more than four million affected people, causing up to P13.525 billion (CHF 322 billion) damage both to infrastructure (roads, bridges, schools, etc) and agriculture. In line with the recommendations of the assessment teams, the PNRC, supported by the International Federation, has developed a plan of action which seeks provision of immediate and subsequent support to the most affected population in the hardest hit areas by the typhoon.