After almost two months since typhoon Odette (Rai) brought torrential rains, violent winds, landslides, and storm surges across 11 regions on different islands in Visayas and Mindanao, making nine landfalls between December 16 and 17, the extent of damage the typhoon brought into the country gave a clearer picture of how much help and support was needed to address.
Situation update
As of February 2, the typhoon had affected an estimated 9.9 million Filipinos across over 9,000 barangays in the six worst-hit regions, leaving approximately 2.4 million people in need of assistance. A total of 1.7 million houses, 16,000 schools, and 330 health clinics have been damaged or destroyed. Over 10 million hectares of crops have been affected, and 80 municipalities are still experiencing power outages or interruptions based on the latest report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 409 people were killed, thousands were injured, and 631,000 people were displaced across ten regions, with approximately 144,000 still displaced, and many more living in a damaged shelter with limited access to basic services.
Government and humanitarian support
Following a typhoon of this scale, there are immediate needs which include emergency shelter, food, water, sanitation facilities, evacuation assistance, family reconnection, healthcare and education, protection of vulnerable people, and case management. These needs will persist even after the recovery period begins.
In addition to immediate action, long-term recovery needs include the reconstruction of homes and community infrastructure, the restoration of electricity, water, and sanitation systems, and assistance for damaged businesses and agriculture.
The national government has released a total of 4.7 billion to local government units (LGUs), and the disbursement of financial aid is currently ongoing according to Secretary Eduardo Año.
As of January 25, victims of Typhoon Odette had received a total of P 179 million in aid from the government.
In December of last year, President Duterte stated that each family affected by Odette would receive P5,000 to help and support them in recovering from the typhoon's impact. In addition, the members of the private sector vigorously responded to the calls for help from the areas directly affected by Typhoon Odette through the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF).
Calls for extended assistance
Communities in the affected areas require more assistance to deal with the massive damage and disruption caused by Typhoon Odette. The Humanitarian Country Team released a revised Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan (HNP) that reflects the new understanding of the scale and extent of the damage brought by the typhoon, which affected nearly 10 million people.
According to Gustavo Gonzalez, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines, the revised HNP is based on over 70 field evaluations, and despite tremendous rapid response by the government and civil society organizations, humanitarian needs remain extremely high.
The revised HNP targets 840,000 individuals, up from 530,000 in the previous HNP, and requests for $169 million (PHP 8.6 billion) to meet these needs, supporting ongoing Government-led initiatives.
Humanitarians have listed shelter, food security and agriculture, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), protection, and early recovery among the top response priorities for the six-months plan. Education is also well-supported.
The revised HNP will also address needs in Caraga and Southern Leyte as well as in two additional areas of Region VII: Bohol and Cebu.
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Written by: Pamela Peñalver
Layout and Design by: Dan Kurt Buenaventura
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