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Aid agencies in Philippines ready for third typhoon
23 Oct 2009 15:33:00 GMT
 Source: AlertNet
Written by Corinne Scotland

Rescuers from Philippine Navy prepare as Typhoon Lupit nears Laoag, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines October 23, 2009. Typhoon Lupit, which means "fierce" in Filipino,weakened and slowed down as it moved closer to Northern Luzon. REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo
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Rescuers from Philippine Navy prepare as Typhoon Lupit nears Laoag, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines October 23, 2009. Typhoon Lupit, which means "fierce" in Filipino,weakened and slowed down as it moved closer to Northern Luzon. REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo

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LONDON (AlertNet) - Aid agencies in the Philippines have stockpiled supplies and pre-positioned emergency teams ready to rescue people from landslides and floods expected over the next few hours when a typhoon swings past the island's northern edge.

Typhoon Lupit - which means fierce in Filipino - will just miss the north-eastern province of Cagayan located in the northern Philippine island of Luzon. It will be the third major storm in under four weeks to pound the archipelago.

Two previous typhoons killed over 920 people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Terry Ally, a spokesman for the United Nations' children's fund UNICEF, said staff in the Philippines were "typhoon-weary and water-logged but more prepared this time around, having been through typhoons twice already".

The first typhoon, Ketsana, smashed through Manila on Sept. 29, flooding much of the capital. Typhoon Parma that followed struck the Luzon area on Oct. 3, triggering devastating landslides in remote rural areas.

World Vision has also prepared its staff in the Philippines for the new typhoon, spokeswoman Minnie Portales said.

"There is already pre-emptive evacuation going on in the area," she said. "Local governments have become more proactive now that the Philippine people have already experienced devastation."

Red Cross workers have been visiting local communities to raise awareness of the dangers that typhoons bring.

"Our staff know what to expect now, so we will be more psychologically prepared for what might lie ahead this time," said Mark South from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"We are bringing in more supplies of aid kits for families so that stock does not run out. We don't know the scale of this disaster yet but this time we will be well-stocked in advance."

However, because of the devastation caused by the previous storms - mainly large landslides in rural areas and flooding in urban areas - it has become harder for aid agencies to get help to people in need.

"It will take months before the floods from typhoon Parma will drain. It is difficult to imagine how typhoon Lupit might add to that time frame, how more heavy rains might exacerbate these already dire situations," said UNICEF's Ally.


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Josette Sheeran, World Food Programme (WFP) executive director, views the Laguna de bay through a helicopter window during an aerial survey in south of Manila October 23, 2009. A storm moving ...


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Last updated:Fri Oct 23 16:23:04 2009