UNITED NATIONS ASSISTING PHILIPPINES AFTER TYPHOON

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

(New York:  5 December 2006):Typhoon Durian has caused widespread destruction across 13 provinces of the Philippines, affecting more than 1.5 million people in 125 municipalities and 10 cities, with 526 confirmed deaths, 740 people missing, and some 1,000 injured according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). 

The typhoon, which lashed the country at the end of last week, destroyed more than 76,000 homes and damaged nearly 154,000 additional residences.  Some 83,000 people have sought shelter in 29 evacuation centres.  And while main roads have been cleared, widespread power and communications outages continue in most of the affected areas.  The disruption of the water supply also remains a major source of concern.  On 3 December, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national calamity and authorized the release of one billion Philippine pesos to fund relief and rehabilitation efforts to repair the damage sustained due to the onslaught of three successive typhoons  Xangsane, Cimarron and Durian. 

The Government has also indicated its readiness to accept assistance from the international community, identifying priority needs as: drinking water and water purifying tablets; medical teams, social workers and medicines; food; blankets and mattresses; tents and tarpaulins; and generator sets.  However, the NDCC has stated that there is no need for international search and rescue teams.  The international community is providing emergency relief assistance. 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is considering an application for funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the purchase of emergency supplies. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has dispatched emergency health supplies for 10,000 people for three months, as has provided 4,000 family packs consisting of rice, canned goods, mattresses and blankets. 

The UNICEF also led a joint United Nations inter-agency assessment mission to Albay province today. Additional cash and in-kind contributions have been provided by Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United States, as well as the Saipan Filipino community and Telecoms sans Frontières,. 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has despatched a Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) to support the Philippines Red Cross Society to assess the situation in the disaster-affected areas.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570.  OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.