Help after Typhoon in the Philippines

Typhoon Washi (Local name: Sendong) devastated the southern island of the Philippines, last December 17, 2011. Over 600people were killed and 800 still missing after it struck Mindanao, causing flash floods and landslides. 24,928 families or 142,961 individuals were displaced. Typhoon Washi dumped over 181 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, equivalent to more than a month of rainfall.

Heavy thunderstorms ravaged the island during this short time. Entire villages were swept to the sea by flash floods and massive flooding brought about by rising river water. Floods washed away entire houses with families inside in dozens of coastal villages in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City.

Rapid assessment of the needs of the families will be conducted to determine the immediate needs of the affected families. HFHP, in partnership with the LGU and other non-government organizations, will identify the family recipients of the tools and wash kits and the community recipients of the COTOMU.

There will be four stages of initial responses for the identified communities – Tool and cleaning kits distribution, Construction Tools Mobilization Unit, Latrines Construction, and Shelter Repair Kits Distribution.

The first leg of the response shall be the distribution of tool and cleaning kits which will contain pails, water dippers, handbrush, industrial cleanser, detergent, brooms, dustpans, rags, shovels, hammer, saw, and nails. These will ensure that the needs of the families in terms of sanitation and repair of their homes. These will be distributed during a week after the disaster until three months after the disaster.

The second leg of the response will be in the form Construction Tools Mobilization Unit. Each unit will contain heavy equipment such as generator sets, chain saw, jackhammer, screw drivers, concrete mixer, steel cutters, wheelbarrows, and others. These tools will be available to the communities for the clean-up and construction repair of their homes. After the restoration of their communities, they will give back the materials for the use of other communities in need.

The third leg of the response will be the construction of latrines in evacuation areas. With the great number of families in each evacuation site, the need for toilets is great to help with the health and sanitation of the families in the site.

The fourth leg will be the distribution of shelter repair kits to families affected by the typhoon. These will be given to the families for the restoration of their houses to liveable conditions.

Habitat for Humanity Philippines tailors its responses to the needs of people struck by disasters. It implements a full-cycle disaster response through its Re-Build Program which incorporates disaster risk mitigation, disaster response, transitional shelter, and relocation. Read more