Philippines: Response to Tropical Storm Washi. Summary Report, 12 January 2012

This report was produced by OCHA in collaboration with humanitarian partners and was issued by OCHA New York. It covers the period from 16 December 2011 to 12 January 2012.

THE DISASTER

Tropical Storm Washi (known locally as Sendong) swept across northern Mindanao from 16 to 18 December 2011. Washi had a devastating impact on many communities, which were not used to coping with storms of this magnitude. According to the latest estimates by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), some 1,141,222 people were affected by Washi, with 1,257 people dead, 173 missing, and 6,048 injured. Most of the casualties were in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, where heavy rains caused flash floods in three major rivers. Remote areas outside these two cities were also affected.

Up to 430,000 people fled their homes and sought refuge in Evacuation Centres (ECs), with host families or in makeshift shelters. In addition to the 51,721 houses destroyed (14,705 of them totally and another 37,016 partially), the storm washed away bridges and made many roads impassable, cutting off some of the isolated and remote communities. The Department of Agriculture confirmed that some 8,064 hectares of crops (rice, corns, vegetables, fruit and root crop) were destroyed, along with twelve hectares of freshwater production and fishponds. The damage to infrastructure and livelihoods is estimated at US$ 32.6 million.