Tropical Storm Kai-Tak - Dec 2017

A new Tropical Cyclone KAI-TAK (named URDUJA in the Philippines) formed over the south west Pacific Ocean on 13 December and started moving west-northwest toward Eastern Samar province (Eastern Visayas region, Philippines). On 14 December at 0.00 UTC its centre was located 200 km south-east of Borongan city (Eastern Samar province) and it had maximum sustained wind speed of 56 km/h (Tropical Depression). (ECHO, 14 Dec 2017)

On 16 December, Tropical Storm Kai-tak (local name Urduja) made landfall over San Policarpio, Eastern Samar province. As a result of Kai-tak, two months of rain fell in 48 hours, triggering severe flooding. As of 18 December, an estimated 249,000 people in five regions (Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Caraga) are affected, with 92,600 people in evacuation centres. Northern Samar Province, Tacloban and Ormoc cities declared a state of calamity. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) activated the national response clusters to closely monitor the situation and assist local authorities in the affected areas to coordinate the response. There is no request for international assistance.(OCHA, 18 Dec 2017)

According to the NDRRMC, a total of 244,121 families (1,015,817 persons) have been affected in 1,669 barangays. As of 19 December, 19 persons have been injured and two are missing, with multiple reports of flooding and landslides. Around PHP 543 million worth of damages have been sustained on national roads, while agricultural crops have incurred around PHP 3.75 million worth of damages. (NDRRMC, 19 Dec 2017)

As of 18 December 2017, less than half of the evacuation centres are still open. Meanwhile, the Philippines’ weather bureau is currently monitoring another tropical depression outside the south-east of the Philippines. Said depression has been downgraded into a low-pressure area but is still likely to bring more rain to the Kai-tak affected areas. (IFRC, 19 Dec 2017)

As of 20 December 2017, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), more than 280,000 families were affected in Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), Region-V (Bicol Region), Region VI (Western Visayas), Region VII (Central Visayas), Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) and CARAGA. Of the affected, more than 267,000 families were from Region VIII and more than 7,500 from Region V. Moreover, some 11,000 families, mostly from Northern and Western Samar province are still housed in 205 evacuation centres. (IFRC, 22 Dec 2017)

As of 24 December 2017, NDRRMC reported 425,996 families (1,780,163 persons) have been affected in 2,471 barangays in Regions MIMAPOPA, V, VI, VII, VIII, and CARAGA. A total of 45 persons were reported dead. Currently 810 families (3,473 persons) are displaced. (NDRRMC, 24 Dec 2017)

As of 1 Jan 2018, the storm affected over 1,800,000 people in 2,591 barangays. Total of 47 persons were reported dead, and over 30,000 houses were destroyed. (Govt. of Philippines, 1 Jan 2018)

As of 20 Jan 2018, NDRRMC reported 160 people dead and 163 missing. The number of fatalities will likely increase as the public authorities verify the information being received from the affected provinces. In addition to causing the loss of human lives and internal displacement, the tropical storm substantially impacted shelter, livelihoods, WASH and caused damage to critical infrastructure including roads, bridges and power transmission lines. The latest report indicates that more than 6,800 houses in 12 provinces were destroyed. Housing damage was mainly attributed to flash floods, landslides, overflowing rivers and wind damage. (IFRC, 20 Jan 2018)

As of 4 February 2018, a total of 183,436 families (808,342 persons) were displaced. Over 420,000 people were staying inside evacuation centers. More than 35,000 houses were damaged. Eleven persons confirmed dead. (NDRRMC, 4 Feb 2018)