Aid efforts in the Philippines are intensifying since Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck, tearing through 36 provinces on 8 November. Over half a million men, women and children are homeless and living in the open, desperate for food, safe drinking water, basic shelter and sanitation.
“We’re making progress, but huge challenges remain,” the UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator ai, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, told IRIN in Tacloban city, one of the worst affected areas. “The needs in some parts of the affected zone are absolutely immense”.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says some 13 million people were affected by the category-5 storm, which displaced over four million and forced about 400,000 into more than 1,000 evacuation centres.
Over 4,000 people lost their lives and around 18,000 were injured, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), reported on 20 November. Over 650,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The UN Children’s Fund estimates 4.9 million are at risk of malnutrition, and the World Food Programme says more than two million need emergency food assistance.
The Philippines government has mobilized relief operations under conditions that prompted the international humanitarian community to declare the highest level of emergency response, making this one of the biggest humanitarian actions of 2013. On 12 November, a humanitarian response plan was launched, seeking US$301 million for the UN and its partners to provide emergency food, shelter, clean water and sanitation, and health services for six months.
OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service said on 20 November funding of the Typhoon Haiyan Action Plan reached 37 percent, but much more is urgently needed.
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“We’re making progress, but huge challenges remain,” the UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator ai, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, told IRIN in Tacloban city, one of the worst affected areas. “The needs in some parts of the affected zone are absolutely immense”.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says some 13 million people were affected by the category-5 storm, which displaced over four million and forced about 400,000 into more than 1,000 evacuation centres.
Over 4,000 people lost their lives and around 18,000 were injured, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), reported on 20 November. Over 650,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The UN Children’s Fund estimates 4.9 million are at risk of malnutrition, and the World Food Programme says more than two million need emergency food assistance.
The Philippines government has mobilized relief operations under conditions that prompted the international humanitarian community to declare the highest level of emergency response, making this one of the biggest humanitarian actions of 2013. On 12 November, a humanitarian response plan was launched, seeking US$301 million for the UN and its partners to provide emergency food, shelter, clean water and sanitation, and health services for six months.
OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service said on 20 November funding of the Typhoon Haiyan Action Plan reached 37 percent, but much more is urgently needed.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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