Salvacion Abued holds her grandson Gian at an evacuation centre, four days after Typhoon Durian triggered mudslides hit the area, in Albay province, south of Manila December 4, 2006.
Photo: REUTERS/CHERYL RAVELO, courtesy www.alertnet.org |
CWS Appeal: Philippines (Hurricane Durian)
December 15, 2006
The Philippines continues to recover from Typhoon Durian -- the November storm caused extensive damage in the central part of the country and occurred just as the country was recovering from Typhoon Xangsane in October. Durian has been called the worst natural disaster in the Philippines since the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, leaving more than 1,000 dead. The provinces of Batangas, Quezon, Mindoro Oriental and Marinduque in the Southern Tagalog region and Camarines Sur in the Bicol region were badly hit. The typhoon also affected Vietnam.
The Bicol region has sustained the highest rate of total damage and casualties among the affected areas. Aside from damage caused by heavy rains and strong winds, the most devastating result of the typhoon were unexpected and deadly mudflows which engulfed whole villages surrounding the Mayon Volcano. Because the mudflows were unexpected and moved so swiftly many families were buried in the mud, while others who managed to escape had no time to secure any belongings.
CWS Response
Church World Service is responding by supporting the efforts of Christian Aid and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), two CWS partners and fellow members of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) network.
Work underway includes providing basic emergency relief items such as food packages, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, health and hygiene kits. The crisis phase relief is being followed by a post-crisis phase with short-term rehabilitation assistance including food-for-work, housing and livelihood support.
Specifics
Christian Aid Response:
Christian Aid and its local implementing partners are working in severely affected barangays (villages) in the towns of Legaspi, Daraga, Sto. Domingo, Guinobatan and Kamalig.
Their response centers on the provision of emergency relief food, non-food items, emergency shelter and psychosocial support for 10,000 households. Specifically: 5,200 households in the most affected villages of Daraga City (Barangays Busay, Binitayan, Tagas, Matagbac) and Legaspi City (Barangay Padang) in Albay to be provided with non- food items (e.g. mosquito nets, mats, blankets, kitchen utensils, hygiene kits, emergency shelter).
Other parts of the program: Providing 3,300 households in villages that were affected by the mudflow and flash floods at the foot of Mt. Mayon (Mabinit, Mataanag, Buyuan, Bunga in Legaspi City and the municipalities of Tabaco and Sto. Domingo) with food items such as rice, milk, sugar, mango and corned beef. In addition, 1,000 homeless families in the municipalities of Legaspi, Daraga, Guinobatan, Kamalig, Sto. Domingo are being provided with emergency shelter (all-weather, sturdy tents), while 500 of the poorest households in Albay are receiving livelihood and housing support
In all, the Christian Aid response targets beneficiaries who are the poorest families with very little means to cope with the loss. These families made their living as small-scale farmers, laborers (washing clothes, domestic services, seasonal construction workers), vendors and drivers. These livelihoods are now disrupted leaving affected families with no means to sustain their basic needs and to rebuild their lives.
National Council of Churches in the Philippines Response:
Having provided immediate relief assistance to some 4,800 families seriously affected by the typhoon, the NCCP plans to provide relief assistance to 2,000 families who were not reached during the rapid response phase, as well as providing agricultural assistance to 500 farmers through distribution of seeds, farm implements, livestock and poultry.
Also planned is the provision of materials for the repair and construction
of houses for 300 families; provide assistance for the implementation
of five community rehabilitation projects; to provide venues for the
church communities and the affected population to discuss issues pertaining
to potential disasters, disaster preparedness as well as initiate advocacy
and preparedness activities.
Among the assistance being provided to the 2,000 families who were
not reached during the relief phase are: a relief bag containing 8
kilos of rice, 4 pieces of canned goods, 1 kilo of sugar, ½ liter of
cooking oil, ½ kilo of mung beans, ½ kilo of dried fish and ¼ kilo
of salt. Other food items such as supplementary food for children showing
signs of malnutrition, as well as pregnant and lactating mothers will
also be provided. Non-food materials such as sleeping mats, light blankets,
water containers, pails and basins will also be provided to families
who need such items.
In the post-crisis phase, a food-for-work program will be provided to 1,500 families who have no economic resources to start off their recovery. Through this program, families will have more flexibility to cover basic necessities such as food for their families, while providing labor for community activities and farmland rehabilitation. Each family will be given a food bag for a maximum of seven days work.
As well, agricultural assistance will be provided to at least 500 farmers. Provisions will be made for the distribution of rice, corn and vegetable seeds as well as farm tools to farmers whose crops and farmlands were destroyed.
Housing assistance will be provided to at least 300 families who do not have the means to repair or construct their destroyed/damaged houses. One hundred families who need relocation will be provided with materials to construct new houses. Another 200 families, whose houses were partially destroyed will be provided with basic materials for the repair of their houses.
The construction will be conducted through the formation of construction teams among the family beneficiaries. Basic construction tools will also be provided to facilitate the construction work. If there is a need for specialized workers such as master carpenters, provision for daily wages will also be provided.
Note on Vietnam: In Vietnam, Durian killed at least 100 persons and caused extensive damage in south-central provinces, including Binh Thuan, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Ben Tre and Vinh Long. Church World Service Vietnam participated in a joint assessment of affected areas and will be responding with support to approximately 30-40 of the most vulnerable families whose homes were destroyed and who will need assistance to rebuild, said CWS Vietnam Director Joanne Fairley. Special attention, she added, is being paid to damaged water supply systems and latrines.
Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Please designate: Philippines - Hurricane Durian #6532
Contributions may also be made by credit card online, or by calling: 800-297-1516, ext. 222.