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To date, this Emergency Appeal, which seeks CHF 20 million, is 38.5 per cent funded (excluding in-kind donations). Further funding contributions are needed to enable the Philippine Red Cross Society, with the support of the IFRC, to continue with the preparedness efforts of and provide humanitarian assistance and protection to most vulnerable people affected by Typhoon Rai in Philippines.
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the crisis
Super Typhoon Rai (locally known as Odette) made its first landfall on 16 December 2021. It brought torrential rains, violent winds, floods, and storm surges to the Visayas and Mindanao Islands. It had maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h near its centre, gustiness of up to 260 km/h, and a central pressure of 985 hPa, and was moving West and Northwest ward at 15 km/h. It was the fifteenth tropical storm to hit the country in 2021.
As it traversed the Philippine archipelago, the tropical cyclone brought strong winds and heavy rain. The impact was felt in other regions of Visayas, Mindanao, and Southern Luzon, causing a mass evacuation and internal displacement of the affected population, as well as severe damage to shelter, infrastructure, and livelihood, along with other water and health infrastructures in affected provinces.
Typhoon Rai further intensified and made nine landfalls.
Palawan, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Southern Leyte, Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao Del Norte were the provinces from five regions identified by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as being the hardest hit.
As of 21 February 2022, according to the NDRRMC -Situational Report #46, a total of 2,991,586 families (10,607,625 people) were affected in 10,264 barangays in Regions V, VI, VII, VIII. IX, X, XI, MIMAROPA and Caraga2. Furthermore, 31,607 families were reported displaced in evacuation centers across the typhoon-affected areas. Out of the total displaced, 20,918 families (79,627 people) took temporary shelter in 810 evacuation areas and 10,689 families (35,411 people) stayed outside the evacuation areas or temporarily with relatives/friends. Moreover, there were 405 deaths, 52 reported missing and 1,371 injured. Also affected were approximately 2,108,858 houses, of which 404,653 were destroyed and 1,704,205 were partially damaged. The damage to crops, livestock, poultry, fisheries, and agricultural facilities was estimated to be worth PHP 17.8 billion, while the infrastructure damage was estimated to be worth PHP 30 billion.
Summary of response
Overview of the operating National Society and ongoing response
As auxiliary to the public authorities, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is the nation’s largest humanitarian organization, operating through its 102 chapters covering all administrative districts and major cities. PRC has 2,273 staff at the National Headquarters (NHQ) and chapter levels, and approximately one million volunteers and supporters, 301,000 of whom are active volunteers. At the chapter level, a programme called Red Cross 143 is established that ensures volunteers are trained, equipped and in place at the community/barangay-level, thereby enhancing the overall capacity of the National Society to prepare for and respond to disaster situations. PRC is working closely with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and early financial resources were made available through the DREF allocation for this operation.
The IFRC Philippine Country Delegation supports the PRC in disseminating information and updates to the IFRC network in the country. Six Participating National Societies (PNS) are present in the Philippines:
American Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross, German Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross and Spanish Red Cross.
PRC received CHF 750,000 from the DREF as initial support to kickstart the operation and meet the immediate needs on the ground by conducting rapid assessments, mobilizing relief items, such as sleeping kits, tarpaulins, jerry cans, hygiene kits, mobilizing volunteers, and providing immediate lifesaving assistance in relation to search and rescue, providing access to clean water, basic health services, etc.
Subsequently, the PRC, IFRC, ICRC, and PNS are all coordinating on potential complementarity of action in areas where it may be required.
Local government units, such as barangay, municipal, and provincial, as well as other relevant government agencies are engaged in evacuation management, provision of hot meals, food relief items distribution, and rapid disaster assessments. It’s estimated that most relief provisions from civil society and private organizations were in the form of food and logistical support in moving relief goods to affected areas.
During the emergency response, the PRC provided hot meals and dry food packs to 140,775 people. PRC was also able to reach 13,132 households (65,660 people) with emergency shelter assistance (ESA). The immediate needs of the affected households were met by PRC through the provision of essential household items (HHI). After suffering the loss of their houses and belongings, 8,435 families were able to restart their lives through this essential HHI assistance. Furthermore, a total of 13,702 households (68,510 people) were reached with multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA).
Activities such as Household Livelihood Assistance (HLA), Community-managed Livelihoods Projects (CMLP),
Full Shelter Assistance (FSA), and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) will be included in the recovery phase. These activities are currently undergoing planning and preparation for implementation beginning in the first quarter of 2023.