UN appeals as health woes climb

NEW YORK—The United Nations on Tuesday appealed for $74 million to help meet mounting emergency needs of the more than 1 million people in the Philippines severely affected by Tropical Storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng over the next six months.

In Manila, a local launch of the flash appeal was made on Wednesday morning, presided over by top UN country officials. There was also a separate briefing by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III about the serious outbreak of diarrheal diseases in flooded areas in Bulacan province, and an assessment that at least P650 million worth of damage was sustained by public hospitals, due to flooding of equipment and destruction of facilities.

Ondoy made landfall on September 26, pouring down a month’s worth of rain in just 9 hours and creating up to six-meter-high floods in Manila and nearby cities and towns. Some 277 people had been confirmed dead and 42 missing from a total of 2.5 million people affected.  Almost 740,000 people were displaced, 400,000 of them still in evacuation shelters and 350,000 with host families.

The devastation wrought by that deadly storm was amplified by Typhoon Pepeng, which made landfall in recent days, killing at least 16 people and affecting 70,000 others. That storm struck an area focused on agriculture, resulting in a nearly $120-million loss in crops. At least 35,000 people were evacuated, but the number of people in sheltering camps is expected to rise to 100,000.

The appeal launched at the UN headquarters here covers humanitarian needs in the affected areas of Metro Manila as well as other cities and provinces. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes noted that this is the largest flash appeal for the Philippines, which he said is “no stranger to disasters and floods.”

Holmes told journalists here, “We call for the international community for assistance in food aid, shelter, health, water and sanitation, education, nutrition, protection, early recovery, telecommunications in emergencies, protection, security, logistics and coordination,” adding that he has already authorized an allocation of $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to fund these projects.

At present, Holmes said that $9 million to $10 million have already been received for the appeal. He adds that the situation on the ground is still difficult in the main affected areas as heavy rain is still falling in some parts of the Philippines, making relief operations hard.

“There is a serious risk of communicable diseases, as always, with flooding and lack of clean water, for example diarrhea and respiratory infections and skin diseases, and a lot of people still have not been able to return home and some are
even fleeing their flooded houses. We have a lot of debris and infrastructure which is still damaged,” Holmes said.

The flash appeal was developed in partnership with the Philippines National Disaster Management Agency, and appealing organizations include UN agencies, along with the Philippines National Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and others.

“I hope donors will respond generously to help the people affected by this devastating storm in this already poor and inaccessible area,” Holmes said, adding that a revision for additional fund depends on the assessment report of UN agencies within three months.

Holmes said the Philippine government must put emphasis on disaster-risk reduction strategies to minimize future disasters in the country.

“Efforts were needed to ensure that no buildings were located in flood or landslide-prone areas and that drainage systems were reviewed. As disasters would likely grow more intense, emphasis must be placed on disaster-risk reduction,” Holmes told the BusinessMirror in an interview.

Flash appeal in Manila

The UN and the Philippines launched on Wednesday at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City the flash appeal seeking to raise $74,021,809-million relief assistance for the 1 million severely affected of the total 3.92 million victims of Typhoon Ondoy.

Dr. Jacqueline Badcock, UN resident representative, said among the humanitarian needs to be addressed with funds from the flash appeal are food assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, shelter, nonfood items, as well as camp coordination and camp management.

“Time is of the essence....A major response from the international donor community is now absolutely essential if the current operation is to be scaled up to meet the needs on the ground,” said Badcock in her call at the launch.

Badcock said the UN Central Emergency Response Fund initially contributed $6.79 million for the flash appeal fund, relayed to her by UN under-secretary-general Sir John Holmes, who will visit Manila on October 12 to discuss with President Arroyo UN assistance for Ondoy victims.

Badcock explained that while the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) estimated 3.92 million victims of Typhoon Ondoy, 1 million of them are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and the rest have minimally managed to return to their normal lives.

The two countries that immediately responded to the UN flash appeal are Brazil and Thailand, giving $70,000 and $100,000, respectively.

Badcock said 44 UN member-countries and 12 organizations attended the launch of the UN flash appeal at the UN offices in Geneva.

The UN flash appeal runs from October 2009 to March 2010.

The funds will address the needs of 2,507,000 people, including 686,699 people in 726 evacuation centers and 350,075 people receiving assistance outside evacuation centers.

The areas targeted by the UN flash appeal are Metro Manila and Region 4-A.

United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef) executive director Ann Veneman said, meanwhile, majority of the victims are children and beyond food, shelter and other needs, they need to be treated for the trauma they suffered during the devastation.

The UN launched similar flash appeals for victims of Cyclone Nargis last year in Burma/Myanmar and Typhoon Milenyo for the Philippines in 2006. It was also launched in Pakistan for victims of devastating earthquake several years ago.

Earlier, various countries expressed their support and sympathy to Manila through the Philippine permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Hilario Davide.

As part of a larger flash appeal, the World Food Program also hopes to raise $26 million for food assistance. (With Estrella Torres in Manila)