Philippines: Landslides and Floods - Dec 2005

The Philippine National Red Cross together with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies continue its "Red Cross Village" housing project for families who lost their homes during massive landslides in Guinsaugon, Southern Leyte in February 2006. A total of 65 duplex houses are currently being constructed, to be turned over to 130 families in January next year.

Report from Miki Kobayashi and Megumi Fujigaki, Midwifes of the Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini and Gifu Hospitals

We left Manila, capital of the Philippines, early in the morning of 25th February 2006 and in the afternoon of the same day, we arrived at the disaster stricken site in Saint Bernard on Southern Leyte Island.

Brgy. Guinsaugon, St. Bernard and other Municipalities of Southern Leyte
As of 7 March 2006-8:00 PM

Statistics

PHOENIX, AZ, February 20, 2006 -- As a result of several days of heavy rains soaking the mountainside adjacent to Barangay Ginsaugan, St. Bernard, a massive mudslide demolished an entire mountainside as the debris swept over the entire village in a matter of seconds. The area is now described as a carpet of mud and rocks, up to 100 feet deep in a few places, covering an area of nine square kilometers.

It is estimated that more than 2,000 people were missing and 81 had been confirmed dead (these statistics are continually changing).

The Singapore Government has sent humanitarian relief supplies to the Philippines in response to the devastation caused by the landslides in Southern Leyte. These supplies include medicine, food, blankets, tents and other relief materials. In addition, the Singapore Red Cross will donate S$100,000 (US$60,000) to the Philippine National Red Cross through the International Federation of the Red Cross for the relief effort.

The Red Cross has released £87,500 from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund to provide assistance to the victims of the landslide in Southern Leyte in central Philippines.

GAPAN CITY--- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered today the release of P500 million to help farmers in typhoon and flood-ravaged areas of the country procure seeds and fertilizers.

The President issued the order to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) during the inauguration of the P106-million Gapan City Hall here.

"I just talked to (Budget) Secretary Romy Neri to release today half a billion pesos so we could have funds to buy seeds and organic fertilizers for the farmers affected by typhoons all over the country," she said.

She said the P500 million …

CALAPAN CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) today to fast track the rehabilitation of infrastructure facilities in Oriental Mindoro destroyed by the massive flooding that hit the province last month.

"This year has been a year like no other for humanitarian action, bracketed by devastating disasters, - the Indian Ocean Tsunami in the final days of 2004 and the South Asia earthquake of October 2005, on top of the worst hurricane season in living memory - and stretching all humanitarian agencies to their maximum capacity and beyond." (Introduction of Humanitarian Appeals 2006- 30 November 2005)

This is to apprise the public on the extent of the effects of massive floodings and landslides which occurred in various parts of the above subject regions and the summary of search and rescue, evacuation, relief and recovery operations being undertaken by the concerned RDCCs.

Background

Chronology of Events

The continuous heavy rains induced by northeast monsoon which started from December 5, 2005 up to December 11, 2005, affected the provinces of Palawan and Oriental Mindoro in Region IV-B; Quezon in Region IV-A; Camarines Norte, Catanduanes and Albay in Region V; and Isabela, …

Manila, 20 December 2005 - The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated an inflatable boat to the Department of Health of the Philippines to provide transportation for mobile health emergency teams in flooded areas in Oriental Mindoro Province, particularly in the city of Calapan.

During the first week of December, three days of rain destroyed a protective dyke in Calapan, leading to the mass evacuation of more than 1000 families.

MANILA, Dec 20, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Another three Filipinos on Tuesday were added into the Office of the Civil Defense (NDCC)'s list of fatalities from the flooding in some parts of the country, bringing the death toll to nine.

The victims were found dead at different places in the central Philippines.

Based on the NDCC's latest report, 39,775 families or 209,866 individuals were affected by the continuous rains that hit the provinces in the middle of the country.

Manila (dpa) - The death toll in flooding that submerged several provinces in the Philippines rose to six as rescuers recovered two more bodies, the government said Monday.

The Office of Civil Defence said the new fatalities were a 5-year-old boy and 23-year-old woman. On Sunday, the office said four people drowned in floods thatswamped the provinces of Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Iloilo, Aklan, Sorsogon and Albay.

The agency said that while floodwaters have already receded in Iloilo and Aklan, water remained high in the other four provinces.

MANILA, Dec 17, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Thousands of people were forced to evacuate from their homes submerged by flood in central Philippines after a dike burst following two days of continuous rains, said local media reports Saturday.

The flooding took place in villages in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro in central Philippines, the mayor of the city, Carlos Brocal, told local television network ABS-CBN News.

Officials at the Office of Civil Defense in Manila also confirmed that at least 10 villages were flooded in Calapan on Saturday, forcing some 15,000 families to flee home.

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in over 181 countries.

Y.B. Dato' Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Minister of Foreign Affairs will present a cheque in the sum of USD100,000 from the Government of Malaysia to the Government of the Republic of Philippines in a ceremony at Wisma Putra at 11.00 a.m on 16 December 2005. The Philippines Government will be represented by Mr. Luis T. Cruz, Charge d' Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Kuala Lumpur.

1. Weather Forecast as of 5:00 AM 10 December 2005

   Synopsis - The northeast monsoon is affecting eastern and southern Luzon and Visayas while the easterly wave is affecting Mindanao

   Forecast - Eastern and Southern Luzon and Visayas will have occasional rains becoming frequent. Rains may trigger flashfloods and landslides over Quezon, Bicol and Eastern Visayas and the rest of Luzon will be mostly cloudy

   2.

By Manny Mogato

MANILA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Philippine troops, on rubber boats and amphibious trucks, were rushing to six flooded areas south of Manila to evacuate nearly 120,000 people and supply food, medicine and blankets, disaster officials said on Friday.

Two people were missing and presumed dead after a landslide on Wednesday in Pagbilao town in Quezon province. In Calapan City on Mindoro island, rescue workers recovered the body of a man who drowned in floods on Thursday.

Neri Amparo, operations chief of the Office of Civil Defence, said residents of Mindoro, parts of which …