Communities are still reeling from storm effect, made landfall in no less than nine places over an area the size of Austria, killing about 500 people.
Aid teams compared Rai to Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which left more than 6,000 people dead and 4 million homeless.
“It just tore through a huge area, razed houses to the ground,” said Brenda Barton, Country Director for the World Food Program.WFP).
She says she has seen “no buildings that are untouched, no houses without roofs, all houses without roofs. It was heartbreaking because it was on Christmas Eve, when the whole community got together to celebrate Christmas and attend Christmas Mass.”
$107 million urgent appeal
To support relief efforts, The UN has issued a call for $107 million. WFP has requested $25 million of this to support food, logistics and telecommunications.
The agency has received just $4.7 million to date, three weeks since the crisis began, and there is growing concern that the situation of already vulnerable communities is deteriorating. get worse.
“We’ve had continuous rains, we’ve had communities that can’t get into homes that are living in evacuation centers and COVID, like in other parts of the world, is just starting to tear. The Philippines has a high population density,” said Ms. Barton, when speaking to journalists in Geneva via Zoom.
The latest reviews show that 11 out of 17 areas of the Philippines are affected by the flow of Rai, known locally as Odette.
It is the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippine archipelago in 2021 and disrupt the lives of more than seven million people, according to government data.
Livelihood on target
In addition to leveling the house, The super typhoon devastated lives and devastated farming and fishing communities WFP says capital provides the main source of income and livelihood.
It caused mass blackouts and telecommunications that continued to affect many areas.
© WFP / Maitta Rizza Pugay
WFP is delivering more than 70,000 home food packages to various areas affected by Typhoon Rai in the Philippines.
WFP’s Ms Barton said: “The government’s pre-preparedness and early response has been much appreciated. “The death rate is relatively low and emergency assistance is being rolled out to communities. But the road to recovery is long and more support will be needed.”
Malnutrition
Humanitarians are particularly concerned that The disaster will continue to impact already severe food security and malnutrition rates in the Philippines.
In some affected areas such as the Caraga area, “53% of families cannot afford a nutritious diet,” noted WFP.
The prevalence of stunting among children stands at 36% in the region, outside of the World Health Organization (WHO).WHO), indicating that it has “very high” public health significance.
WFP said in a statement: “Stunting shows that children have been deprived for a long time. “Their nutritional status puts them at higher risk of disease and even death.”
First aid
When the super typhoon made landfall, WFP immediately assisted the authorities by deploying more than 100 trucks to the Ministry of Social Welfare and Development, to help provide household food packages, hygiene kits, and other non-food relief items.
WFP and the Central Department of Information, Communications and Technology also deployed an innovative mobile emergency telecommunications (MOVE) suite for the first time, allowing emergency responders to quickly communicate and coordinate immediately after an incident. out an emergency.
Concerns about gender-based violence According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), sexual and reproductive health agencies, women and girls have become even more vulnerable to sexual exploitation, trafficking and gender-based violence since the storm hit.
There have been unconfirmed reports of rape, domestic violence and sex in exchange for food, which WFP said “reflects the desperate situation caused by scarcity of food and clean water, and the disruption of the community support system and protection mechanism” caused by storms.
“We are seeing all of these challenges right now and we know they are interconnected. That’s why we put women’s health, rights and choices at the heart of our humanitarian response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Odette,” said Dr. Leila Joudane, Chief UNFPA representative in the Philippines said.
As part of the ongoing response, WFP will initially provide food to augment the household food packages already distributed by the Philippine government, ensuring communities can meet their essential food needs. while basic commodity prices remain volatile.
This will be complemented by cash support, to help people recover while also stimulating the economy in places where markets already work.
