Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (17 - 23 November 2020)

PHILIPPINES

At least 256,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed after two typhoons struck the main island of Luzon in early and mid-November. More than 349,000 people remain displaced across Bicol Region, Central Luzon including the National Capital Region, and Cagayan Valley. In many affected areas, response efforts were set back and emergency shelters were destroyed when Typhoon Vamco made landfall on 11 November, only ten days after Super Typhoon Goni.
On 19 November, the entire island of Luzon has been placed under a state of calamity, which allows local governments to access quick response funds and speed up relief and rehabilitation efforts. The Humanitarian Country Team and the Red Cross continue to support the Government response with search and rescue teams, logistical support, and the provision of food packs, drinking water, non-food items, and shelter repair kits to people in need.

256K houses damaged or destroyed

MYANMAR

Hostilities between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State and southern areas of Chin State continue to kill and maim civilians and are causing further displacement of people. Three civilians, including a child, were reportedly killed and six others, including four children, were injured by a landmine explosion in Maungdaw Township in Rakhine State on 17 November. In 2020, at least 200 people have been killed or injured by landmines and other explosives. One third of all victims were children and almost half of all incidents were reported in Rakhine State, according to UNICEF.

AFGHANISTAN

Heavy fighting between the Afghan National Security Forces and a non-state armed group continued in southern Afghanistan across the provinces of Hilmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan. As of 18 November, more than 15,000 IDPs in Hilmand are in need of humanitarian assistance, while over 9,800 people have been displaced in Uruzgan and 3,500 people in Kandahar.
Humanitarian partners have provided IDPs in Hilmand and Kandahar with food, water and sanitation, non-food items, and cash assistance. While assessments in Uruzgan are continuing, some humanitarian partners have suspended activities due to renewed fighting and the presence of improvised explosive devices.

INDONESIA

Torrential rainfall caused flooding and landslides in parts of Java and Sumatra Islands on 17-20 November. According to the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), more than 3,800 people have been displaced and four people have died across the provinces of Central Java, West Java, Aceh and West Sumatra, and over 560 houses have been damaged, according to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre). Local authorities and the Red Cross provided medical assistance, food, shelter kits, non-food items, water and sanitation to the affected population.

3.8K people displaced