Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (3 - 10 December 2019)

PHILIPPINES

Typhoon Kammuri made landfall on 2-3 December in the provinces of Sorsogon, Masbate, Marinduque and Oriental Mindoro. Affected areas experienced heavy rain, strong winds and storm surges. It is estimated that 768,000 people were affected, 12 people were killed, 138,000 people were evacuated (many pre-emptively), and about 71,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. To date, the Government has provided some USD$240,000 worth of relief assistance to affected families.

MYANMAR

Ongoing clashes between Myanmar Armed Forces and the Arakan Army (AA) have displaced nearly 45,000 people to 131 sites in Rakhine and Chin states since December 2018. This figure does not include an unconfirmed number of displaced people staying with relatives and in host communities. Heavy artillery shelling in Mrauk-U Township on 1 December killed two children and one woman, and injured four people. In a separate incident in Mrauk-U Township on 2 December, eight people, including a child and a pregnant woman, were seriously injured by an explosion of an unconfirmed origin.

NEW ZEALAND

The Whakaari/White Island volcano erupted on 9 December, sending an ash plume more than 3 km above the crater. At least 5 people have been confirmed killed and 8 people remain missing. Search and rescue operations have been hampered by the ongoing eruption and unstable conditions on the island.

SAMOA

On 15 November, the Government declared a state of emergency in response to the growing measles outbreak. As of 9 December, nearly 4,700 cases and 70 fatalities have been reported, overwhelming the health system in a country with a population of about 200,000. Between 150-200 new cases are reported daily and most of these are children under 5. On 6 December, the Government of Samoa launched its National Measles Response and Recovery Appeal calling for US$10.7 million to respond to needs. The UN Central Emergency Response fund (CERF) has released some US$2.6 million to help fight the measles outbreak in Samoa and support the wider region. 4,700 cases reported

SRI LANKA

Thousands of people have been displaced by floods resulting from torrential rains over the past week in Northern and Eastern provinces. In Eastern Province, over 79,000 people have been affected by the floods, while 2,500 people from 800 families have been displaced. In Batticaloa District, over 51,000 people from 15,000 families have been affected due to heavy rains and 2,300 people have been relocated to 15 sites. The Government has allocated emergency funds for the provision of food to the displaced people in displacement sites or temporarily staying with friends and relatives.