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This document is the outcome of a technical review by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Cluster (WASH Cluster) to draw out lessons learned from Tropical Storm Sendong (international name Washi) emergency response in the Philippines from December 2011 to June 2012. More than 200,000 individuals were displaced and approximately PhP1.34 billion (about US$32.6 million)1 in damages were estimated in Cagayan de Oro (CDO) and Iligan cities alone, as a result of the devastation brought about by Sendong which touched ground on midnight of 16 December 2012.
Over a very short period of time, a huge humanitarian effort by the Philippine Government, United Nations agencies (UN agencies), private sector and both International and Local non-government organisations (NGOs) resulted in provisions of WASH infrastructure and services to the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Throughout the duration of the emergency response, there were no outbreaks of diarrhoea, one of the best indicators of a successful WASH emergency programme. The WASH Cluster either achieved or came close to achieving minimum international standards set out in the SPHERE handbook.
This document, which covers 23 technical areas, focuses on aspects of coordination, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion. For each of these technical areas the following subsections are presented: the need/gap, an outline of the interventions taken, lessons learned, and the preparedness actions required. Readers are welcome to read from beginning to end, or simply read the sections that interest them.

This document is intended for WASH practitioners in emergency preparedness and response. It is rich with practical examples of how the WASH Cluster overcame a host of challenges, successful interventions, as well as preparedness actions that should be considered. While this document is exclusive to the WASH Sendong response–a predominantly urban-based emergency, with its own challenges and advantages–it is hoped that WASH practitioners globally may find some valuable lessons from within these pages.

We wish to express our appreciation to the tremendous dedication of all those involved in the WASH Cluster response to the emergency across Government, UN agencies, NGOs and Private Sector. Furthermore, we wish to thank all of the WASH specialists who devoted time to write and review the technical sections amidst their busy schedules.