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Update: ADRA Expands Response in Philippines After Fourth Typhoon Strikes
11 Nov 2009 16:11:00 GMT
 Source: Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International
Nadia McGill

Website: Website: http://www.adra.org

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REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco (PHILIPPINES POLITICS ENVIRONMENT DISASTER), courtesy www.alertnet.org

Background

•  Hurricanes and cyclones

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SILVER SPRING, Md.--On October 31, Typhoon Mirinae became the fourth major storm to hit the Philippines in a month, killing at least seven people and causing additional flooding, landslides, and devastation in a country still trying to recover from the destruction caused by Typhoons Ketsana, Parma, and Lupit.

"These storms make it difficult for the waters to dry up," said Yvonne Heinrich, project coordinator for ADRA Philippines, referring to the current situation in some of the country's most severely affected areas, where floodwaters are expected to remain high for another four to six months.

ADRA is continuing to respond in the wake of these disasters, implementing eight projects to date that are providing an estimated $966,000 worth of humanitarian assistance for survivors in the region.

In October, ADRA launched an initial response following Typhoon Ketsana, distributing food packs for approximately 3,260 families in the heavily affected eastern region of Metro Manila. The intervention, valued at $50,000, was funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ADRA International, the Adventist Church in the Southern Asia Pacific region, the ADRA Asia regional office, and the Adventist Church in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines.

A second response, funded by Japan Platform (JPF) through ADRA Japan, provided emergency food and bed kits for 1,200 affected families in Binan, a town located in the province of Laguna, in western Philippines. This response is being expanded to assist 3,000 additional families.

On Tuesday, November 3, ADRA completed a distribution of bedding kits and kitchen utensils for nearly 3,000 families in the municipalities of Taytay and Cainta, with assistance from the German Foreign Ministry (GFM), ADRA Germany and ADRA International.

Currently, ADRA is continuing to implement the distribution of hygiene kits provided by the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) to more than 1,700 families in the municipality of San Pedro, in Laguna. Another 1,482 families are also benefiting from an ongoing distribution of bedding and hygiene kits within the communities of Lumban and Bay in the affected region. The total estimated value for the project is $395,000.

ADRA is also preparing to launch a water purification project funded by the GFM and ADRA Germany, which will provide clean water in the severely flooded regions of Laguna Province benefiting tens of thousands of survivors. ADRA is partnering with the Government of Aragon, Spain, through ADRA Spain to provide additional food aid for more than 1,600 families. The project will also fund the activities of ADRA's medical team, which was created through a partnership with the Manila Adventist Medical Center to address the immediate health concerns of survivors.

"There is still a great level of need within the affected areas," said Goran Hansen, country director for ADRA Philippines. "Many are still without access to basic necessities such as food and emergency supplies. We are continuing to assess the needs of those affected in order to help those who are suffering from this ongoing disaster."

On Saturday, September 26, Typhoon Ketsana, known locally as Ondoy, hit the northern Philippines bringing torrential rainfall, record flooding, and deadly landslides, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

One week after Ketsana made landfall, Typhoon Parma hit the island, dropping even more rain on areas that were already flooded from the previous storm. In late October, a third typhoon, Lupit, threatened the Philippines with strong winds and rain before heading towards Japan.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1,125 people died from the combined typhoons and more than nine million were affected.

More than 130,000 survivors continue to reside in over 400 evacuation centers in Manila and the surrounding areas, as well as other regions of Luzon, reported the Philippine National Disaster Coordinating Council to OCHA.

As response efforts expand, follow ADRA on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest information.

To send your contribution to ADRA's Emergency Response Fund, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online at www.adra.org.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org.




[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Topics

•  Hurricanes and cyclones

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Emergencies

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•  Typhoon Lupit

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Background information

Briefings
Typhoon Ketsana - [Who works where]
Typhoon Lupit - [Who works where]
Typhoon Mirinae - [Who works where]
Typhoon Parma - [Who works where]

Topics
Hurricanes and cyclones
Facts & figures
Philippines

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Last updated:Wed Nov 11 16:14:13 2009