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Typhoon Sarika - Oct 2016

Disaster description

A weather disturbance which formed earlier this week, in the sea, east of Philippines has intensified to Typhoon Sarika (local name Karen). The national meteorological agency estimates that Sarika will make landfall in the Aurora Quezon area as an equivalent of Category 2 cyclone early Sunday, 16 October. (IFRC, 15 Oct 2016)

Typhoon Sarika made landfall in the Philippines in Aurora province, eastern Luzon...on 15 October, as a strong Typhoon...It crossed Luzon swiftly, passing through the provinces of Aurora, Nueva Vizcava, Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan, losing strength but remaining a typhoon. The National Disaster Management Agency in the morning of 17 October (UTC) reported no casualties, about 200 houses damaged, minor landslides and power cuts. Around 40 000 people were preemptively evacuated and about 25 000 of them were still in shelters as of same date. (ECHO, 17 Oct 2016)

Typhoon Sarika emerged over the South China Sea a few hours after landfall in the Philippines and moved W-NW in the general direction of Hainan province of China. (ECHO, 17 Oct 2016)

As of 03 November, the official partial estimates of damage caused by both typhoons Sarika and Haima, which hit northern Luzon on 19 October, included 248 872 tonnes of lost crops. Large numbers of people are still living in temporary shelters and relying on humanitarian support. Most of the population affected by the typhoons are critically dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods and many are vulnerable to food insecurity. (FAO, 03 Nov 2016)

As of 04 November, preliminary official estimates indicated that about 400,000 hectares of paddy, maize and high value crops (such as mango, banana, papaya, cassava and vegetables) were adversely affected by both typhoons Haima and Sarika. The overall damage to the agriculture sector was estimated to be close to USD 234 million. However, the overall impact on 2016 cereal crops is expected to be limited. (FAO, 16 Nov 2016)

On 18 October, Typhoon Sarika made landfall on China's southern island of Hainan as a Category 2 typhoon with torrential rain and winds of up to 162 km/h. Nearly 500,000 people were evacuated from coastal and low-lying areas. (OCHA, 24 Oct 2016)

As of 19 October In Hainan province, more than 500 houses collapsed and more than 2,000 were damaged, according to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs. (IDMC, 19 Oct 2016)

Severe flooding triggered by heavy rainfall in the central provinces of Viet Nam has forced thousands of families to evacuate to safer grounds and left many other residents stranded without food or safe drinking water in their homes. According to local authorities, at least 21 people have died, 18 were injured, and 8 others are still missing after the floods inundated more than 27,000 houses and damaged 770 homes in the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Binh, which was the most impacted. Around 1,600 hectares of rice fields have been damaged and some families lost their livestock in the floods. (IFRC, 18 Oct 2016)

On 17 November, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent launched an Emergency Appeal seeking 1.4 million Swiss francs to support the Viet Nam Red Cross (VNRC) to deliver assistance and support to 30,775 people for nine months, with a focus on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); shelter (including household non-food items); disaster risk reduction and National Society capacity building. According to the IFRC, people in affected areas have inadequate access to basic hygiene and limited access to safe water and nutritional food, potentially exposing them to health risks. (IFRC, 17 Nov 2016)

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reports that Typhoon Sarika affected a total of 70,169 families, or 300,396 people, in six regions: I, II, III, CALABARZON, V and CAR. (IFRC, 14 Dec 2016)

On 20 December, the European Commission announced the release of € 328 000 in humanitarian aid funding to channel emergency relief to communities affected by typhoons Sarika and Haima. The aid will focus on providing assistance to meet the most pressing needs of 17 000 people in some of the worst hit provinces: Aurora, Cagayan, Catanduanes, Kalinga and Nueva Vizcaya. (ECHO, 20 Dec 2016)

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