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Typhoon Haima - Oct 2016

Disaster description

On 19 October 2016, the typhoon made landfall in Cagayan in the evening as a category 4 storm.(Gov't of the Philippines, 20 Oct 2016)

Eight deaths, all males, including two minors and an infant, have so far been attributed to this storm. These deaths all occurred from landslides in CAR. Additionally, there are two people reported missing. A total of 53,433 people were displaced in CAR and Regions I, II, III, IV-A and V, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). (OCHA, 21 Oct 2016)

On 23 October, the IFRC launched an appeal seeking CHF 3 million to assist 20,000 affected population over 10 months. (IFRC, 23 Oct 2016)

About 68 per cent of the 148,000 still displaced by Typhoon Haima, as of 23 October, are in Region II. There are still 36,000 people in evacuation centres and another 112,000 people who are home-based. The number of damaged or destroyed houses has risen in excess of 46,000. Damages to agriculture and fishing have exceeded PhP646 million (US$14 million) in Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) and Region I. The Government is leading the humanitarian response and has formally declined the Humanitarian Coordinator’s offer of assistance. (OCHA, 23 Oct 2016)

As of 25 October, the total number of people displaced dropped to 37,678, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The Government’s Response pillar downgraded to “blue” alert on 23 October, indicating limited activation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s Operations Center, with national agencies directly coordinating continuing relief activities. (OCHA, 25 Oct 2016)

As of 28 October, nearly 31,000 people remained displaced in Region III and Cordillera Administrative Region as a result of Typhoon Haima (4,000 people are in 20 evacuation centres and 27,000 are hosted by relatives and friends). The Government, local and international NGOs are providing assistance to the affected communities. (OCHA, 31 Oct 2016)

As of 31 October, assessments reports from far-flung areas affected by Typhoon Haima continue to come in, with some municipalities incurring damage to 100 per cent of homes. In its latest report, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recorded more than 168,000 damaged and 29,000 destroyed houses. Over 65 per cent of the damaged homes were concentrated in Cagayan and Isabela provinces. Also hard-hit was CAR, where 18 per cent of the overall damaged and destroyed homes were located. (OCHA, 31 Oct 2016)

As of 10 November, about 31,000 people are displaced in Region III (Central Luzon) by Typhoon Haima, which hit the Philippines on 19 October. Of the total number of displaced people, 3,600 people remain inside evacuation centres in the provinces of Tarlac, Bulacan and Pampanga. Nearly 270,000 houses were destroyed, mostly in Cagayan and Isabela provinces. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to lead the government’s transition to recovery, providing emergency shelter funds and cash-for-work programming to affected families. (OCHA, 14 Nov 2016)

Preliminary official estimates indicated that, as of 4 November, 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, which hit in quick succession. 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)

By mid-December, almost two months after Typhoon Haima struck, affected regions have shifted from emergency response to recovery. Housing, infrastructure and agricultural damage are some of the major concerns. At least 23 deaths were attributed to Typhoon Haima and more than 260,000 people were moved to evacuation centres. (OCHA, 13 Dec 2016)

On 20 December, the IFRC revised its appeal. It is now seeking 2,007,914 Swiss francs (reduced from just under 3 million Swiss francs) to support the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in delivering assistance and support to 29,210 people (increased from 20,000 people) affected by Typhoon Haima over 10 months. The operation will focus on health; water, sanitation and hygiene; shelter; food, nutrition, and livelihoods; disaster risk reduction and National Society capacity building. Major changes include the use of cash transfer programming in the recovery phase in support of shelter and livelihoods interventions. Relief operations have continued since the onset of the disaster, focusing on food and non-food items. However, the priority has now moved to support shelter and livelihoods recovery as two of the most significantly impacted sectors. (IFRC, 20 Dec 2016)

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