HUMANITARIAN CALL | UN calls for humanitarian aid for Typhoon Odette victims

December 24, 2021 , 05:42 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(December 24, 2021) – The United Nations (UN) has called for humanitarian aid to support the food, water, fuel and other basic needs of more than half a million Filipinos who were devastated by Typhoon Odette last week, the intergovernmental organization’s humanitarian coordinator said on Friday.

Gustavo Gonzalez said the UN’s humanitarian country team in the Philippines have launched a plan to respond to the needs of 530,000 people in areas in the Caraga and Eastern Visayas regions that were most devastated by Odette, the strongest cyclone to hit the country this year.

He said the agency planned to raise 107.2 million or P5.36 billion to support the government in addressing the most urgent humanitarian needs for the next six months, with focus on helping out women, girls, and people with disabilities living in the hardest-hit areas.

“This super typhoon evoked memories of [Typhoon] Haiyan,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “While the Government was more prepared for a typhoon of this magnitude this time around, the needs remain overwhelming.”

This followed shortly after the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) allocated $12 million or over P600 million of humanitarian funds to its various humanitarian agencies, to roll out humanitarian assistance in the areas hit by the typhoon.

Through the UN’s plan, the team seeks to provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food, emergency shelter, efficient management of evacuation centers, decentralized communication, and support for coordination by the government, among others.

The team will also prioritize protective measures against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), collaborating with the Health Department to prevent a spike in cases, Gonzales said.

“This is a crisis within a crisis,” Gonzales said. “It happened at the end of the year when the government has been able to keep down COVID-19 infections and inoculated a significant number of the population.”

Odette, also known by its international name Rai, slammed the nation’s belly last week, causing widespread damage along its path. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the death toll has risen to 326 and 661 other injured. The fatalities could increase as there were 58 people missing.

At least 3.4 million people were affected and more than 629,000 were displaced. Damages to homes, infrastructure, agricultural areas could hit P6 billion.

People in the affected areas have been pleading for food, drinking water, and materials to help repair their damaged homes. Authorities are also working on restoring interrupted power supply and internet and clearing roads that have been blocked and damaged.

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