Situation Overview
Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit the eastern Philippines on Thursday, 16th of December, ravaging islands and coastal communities in the eastern part of the country and carving out a path of destruction, flooding in towns and cities across the country. Its nearly three weeks after the devastation of the typhoon Odette which made a total of 9 landfalls mainly in Visayas and Mindanao between December 16 until the afternoon of December 17, still many areas are in need of help.
Our regional center on the ground says that disruptions to key critical lines such as water supplies are still a major concern, particularly in Siargao Island. 19 days after the typhoon, Siargao remains in a dire situation, in fact, unstable water supply remains a major blow that has afflicted many. Diarrhea incidents are on the rise in several villages and it has also been reported that diarrhea medications are being depleted for three days already. The queue of people to charge their phones and other electronic gadgets is common all over Siargao as the entire island is still without electricity since the storm hit the province.
In Southern Leyte, data collection is still a big challenge due to the absence of power supply and unstable mobile signals. Several towns still heavily relied on generators for power due to slow power restoration. In Limasawa Island, residents have sought the assistance of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and electric cooperatives to help restore their power supply. The islands’ diesel power plant is intact however remained non-operational due to toppled electric posts.
Assistance from various government agencies and other private organizations continues to pour in areas hit by the typhoon Odette, however, the provided assistance will only last for only a few days. The local government has currently done its efforts to meet the initial needs but funding has immensely exhausted in almost all the affected areas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Government rations are very limited that’s why external assistance is really much needed. Aside from the immediate needs such as foods, augmentation of rehabilitation and recovery efforts should also be considered.
Affected Populations
The estimated number of those affected by TY Odette has risen to 1,252,205 families or 4,852,079 individuals. The increase in such a number of those affected is attributed to the gradual restoration of communication lines and electricity in the severely affected provinces, which allows the transmittal of reports from the field. While there has been a significant increase in the number of those affected, the number of casualties has risen to 407 as of date.
Some of the most severely affected sectors are shelters and livelihoods through agriculture. A total of 606,861 houses were damaged, of which 422, 797 houses were partially damaged and 184,064 are destroyed. In Southern Leyte, a preliminary report from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) revealed that 148,667 households were damaged by the strong winds and storm surge. In total, 49,650 houses were classified as destroyed and 99,017 were damaged. Among the provinces, Southern Leyte had the most damaged houses with 76,874, followed by areas in the southwestern part of Leyte with 71,158 and Mercedes, Eastern Samar with 635.
Damage to the agriculture sector amounted to PHP ₱ 7,701,059,774.93 according to NDRRMC’s latest report. In this regard, the Eastern Visayas’ coconut industry has suffered an estimated PHP614.27 million loss of production when Typhoon Odette destroyed more than 10 million trees on Leyte Island when it vented its anger on the region last month. According to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), 57, 367 metric tons of nuts are ready for harvesting this year but were wasted by the typhoon’s strong winds.
Emergency Response Efforts
Thanks to the generosity of our individual donors, partners, and international donors, CDRC along with its regional centers were able to provide vital services to the areas hardly devastated by typhoon Odette. During the holiday season, CDRC and its regional centers are on the ground, delivering immediate assistance to families who were deprived of joy and hope as they have lost everything due to the storm.
But much more needs to be done as thousands of families are still in need of help and are still entirely depending on food assistance.
In response to the devastation caused by the typhoon, the Emergency Relief Assistance Fund was launched in able to provide immediate relief assistance to the targeted 3,000 most vulnerable affected families. The allocation allowed regional centers to mobilize relief goods as well as to deploy teams for immediate assessment. In support of the STY Odette affected communities, CDRC along with its regional centers have begun distributing core relief items to several hardly hit barangays in the provinces of Cebu, Surigao City, Bacolod, Palawan, and Southern Leyte. The assistance included food packs, hygiene kits, plastic tents, and shelter kits.
As of January 5, CDRC and its Regional centers have been able to perform the following activities.
• Toledo, Cebu
On December 29, CRRC distributed relief supplies in affected households in three (3) affected municipalities namely Pinamungajan, Aloguinsan, and Toledo in Cebu City. Relief goods items were purchased locally to help the region’s economy. However, due to the volume of relief delivery operations underway, the next batch of core relief items was procured in Metro Manila and scheduled to be shipped as of Tuesday. CRRC continues to monitor the local situation with the help of its partners.
• Southern Leyte
On December 27, CDRC’s Emergency Response Team was assembled and deployed to support the relief efforts of its regional center LCDE. On the 30th of December, CDRC and Leyte Center for Development (LCDE) jointly organized relief and item distribution in three 3 severely affected barangays in Southern Leyte. Preparations were already made the previous day where sets of relief goods containing 5kg rice, ½ mung beans, ½ kg dried fish, 250 ml cooking oil, and hygiene kits were put together to be provided at the town of Tigbao, Lipanto, and Hindag-an. Procurement of goods was done in Tacloban City due to the unavailability of supplies near the target areas. CDRC’s emergency response team also conducted rapid assessments in San Ricardo, Southern Leyte, and identified that the priority needs were in the areas of shelter, livelihoods, and WASH.
A total of 453 families in Brgy. Dan-an, Nueva Estrella Norte, Nueve Estrella Sur in Catbawan were also provided with emergency shelter kits, comprising of sleeping mats and tarpaulins through the support of Good Doctors. CDRC through the help of LCDE personnel were able to mobilize volunteers to support the process of selection/validation of targeted families, repacking of relief goods, and monitoring the distributions in selected areas to ensure quality programming.
• Palawan
Southern Tagalog People’s Response Center (STPRC), conducted similar activity in the typhoon Odette-battered municipality in Palawan. The efforts of STPRC were able to serve more than 800 families in Roxas City, Palawan.
• Surigao City
Disaster Response Center (DIRECT) through the help of IFI-VIMROD provided prompt emergency assistance in the municipality of Mainit in Surigao del Norte, one of the most affected in the Mindanao region. DIRECT delivered hundreds of food packs, hygiene kits, and plastic tents to cover the immediate needs of the affected people, providing immediate relief to more than 400 households. The relief operations were coordinated with Barangay Government Units, particularly in Brgy. Bubunawon and Brgy. Luna.
• Bacolod
CPRS also brings disaster relief response to the affected families in Bacolod, a total of 250 families were supported through the Emergency Relief Assistance Fund. Most of its beneficiaries are oyster growers whose livelihood was damaged by the typhoon. The distribution which consists of food packs and hygiene kits and other items was made successfully completed through the help of their volunteers and networks.
The appeal continues to be made to fund the urgent needs and long-term recovery efforts of affected communities.
Resources Available
Standby emergency funds
Expressed Needs
Initial Assessments have indicated immediate needs include;
Recovery assistance and reconstruction efforts are needed to repair damaged infrastructures such as houses, schools, barangay halls, health centers, highways and electrical poles. Continuous efforts to provide support to the agricultural sector are also needed.
Coordination
Regional Center
1. CDRC delivered relief assistance to the communities of St. Bernard in Southern Leyte.[/caption] LCDE (Leyte Center for Developmen, Inc .based in Palo,Leyte)
2. PCDR (Panay Center for Disaster Response, Inc. based in Iloilo City)
3. CPRS (Center for People’s Resources and Services, Inc. based in Bacolod City)
4. CRRC (Cebu-Bohol Relief and Rehabilitation Center, Inc.based in Cebu City)
5. DIRECT (Disaster Response Center, Inc. based in Saranggani)
6. STPRC (Southern Tagalog People’s Response Center, Inc. based in Los Banos, Laguna)
Contacts
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1. Hanna Fiel, Deputy Executive Director, 0945-8355589, hanna.fiel.cdrc2019@gmail.com
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2. Cora Jazmines, Local Partnerships Department, 0928-182-4969, lpd@cdrc-phil.com