As
one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, the Philippines
has seen its fair share of typhoons and violent storms. But
it has been quite awhile since residents have been forced to
face the likes of Typhoon Xangsane, known locally as “Milenyo”.
The storm, which recently unleashed flash floods and landslides
on the country, wiped out power stations and left 43 million
people on the main island of Luzon in the dark.
At least 125 people were killed by the typhoon, according to
the Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC), which mobilised its
volunteers to help with evacuations and assist vulnerable families
before Milenyo even made landfall on 27 September.
All told, at least 1.2 million people were affected by the typhoon,
including many from poor rural areas, who were already in a
vulnerable position before Milenyo struck.
Because communications were severely disrupted in the initial
days following the disaster, very little information was coming
out of these areas but Red Cross assessment teams have since
returned from affected areas, bringing back stories of loss
and heartbreak.
“This wasn’t just another typhoon,” said Richard
Gordon, the chairman of the PNRC. “The devastation is
huge… It’s becoming clear that the area of Sorsogon
was worst affected but we are still awaiting more information
from other areas like Albay, Camarines Sur, and Quezon.”
Thirty-five-year-old, Mayla, is a mother of four, who lives
in the riverbed shantytown of Barangay II in Calamba City, southeast
of the capital, Manila.
The day after Milenyo slammed into her small, metal sheet-clad
home, packing wind gusts of up to 185 kilometers per hour, Mayla
left the evacuation centre to retrieve whatever was left of
her household.
"I could find only clothing," she says with a heavy
sigh. "The house is all gone, nothing is left."
Around her, neighbours try to salvage anything that can be used
to rebuild their shattered lives along the muddy, slippery slopes
of the riverbed, which is prone to giving way during heavy rainfall.
"I cannot really think about the future yet," Mayla
explains. "If not here, where should we go?"
Many of the residents of this devastated area come from other
provinces, but moved here in search of better work prospects.
Often, their dreams do not come true and because Milenyo struck
many of their home provinces, too, most have nothing to go back
to.
For now, Mayla takes a philosophical point-of-view. She says
worrying “belongs to the future” and that she’s
simply pleased to have a roof over her head, knowing that she
has people around to support her.
Her temporary safe haven is the Jose Rizal Memorial School of
Calamba City, which was turned into an evacuation centre the
day before Milenyo hit.
Almost two weeks later, more than 3,000 people have taken up
shelter in the school.
Rudelly C. Cuevas-Cabutin, from the Laguna Chapter of the Philippines
Red Cross, moves toward a crowd gathering in the schoolyard.
Her office was damaged during Milenyo by a falling tree but
that didn’t stop Rudelly from helping distribute emergency
food, including rice, sardines and noodles, to vulnerable and
scared people at the centre.
She says water and sanitation remain a major concern.
"Due to the lack of electricity following the storm, this
evacuation centre did experience problems with its sanitary
facilities," she says. "The situation is better now,
but we are still looking into how to provide more support…
"
So far, luckily, there have been no major outbreaks of any disease
or illness, with the exception of some cases of diarrhoea and
fever.
One of the many people taking shelter in the large Joaquin E.
Chipeco Hall, is 45-year-old, Agapita M. Ignacio, and her family
of three. She and her children sleep on pieces of cardboard
laid out over a five-meter patch of concrete, under a full clothesline.
"This is what I've got left," Agapita says and points
with her hand. "My husband died some time ago, and the
storm took away our house… There is nothing to go back
to.
Also, I have two children in hospital, my 7-year-old and my
17-year-old daughters, who were injured when they tried to go
back and save some of the belongings in the small house of ours."
Vulnerable mothers, like Mayla and Agapita, are going to need
assistance in rebuilding their lives and the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the PNRC already
have a plan in place to support them.
The International Federation is appealing for 5.7 million Swiss
francs ($4.6 million USD/€3.6 million) to support 126,000
people over the next three months with emergency food, basic
household items, like stoves, blankets and buckets, and construction
materials to help repair their damaged dwellings.
In an effort to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases, Red
Cross health volunteers are also organizing education and awareness
activities in affected communities, which include orientation
sessions on how to use water-testing kits and water purification
tablets.
PNRC trained volunteers and staff will also be carrying out
psychosocial support activities to help people come to terms
with their sense of loss and dread that another typhoon could
strike again.
Those fears aren’t unfounded. On average, the Philippines
experiences one typhoon per month during the storm season. These
violent storms, which have been on the increase worldwide in
recent years, not only damage homes, crops and infrastructure,
but storm surges from the sea are also threatening coastal communities,
while flash flooding is causing severe soil erosion and landslides.
Between 1995 and 2004, the number of global windstorms shot
up annually from 59 to 121. For the first time in a decade,
typhoons, cyclones and other types of storms now account for
one-third of all natural catastrophes, according to the International
Federation’s 2005 World Disasters Report.
This type of violent weather affected almost 16 million people
in 2004 alone.
That’s why the International Federation also insists on
working to ensure that national and local Red Cross and Red
Crescent societies and branches are constantly boosting their
capacity to respond to disasters, like Milenyo.
"It is essential that disaster management, including prevention,
mitigation and preparedness, goes hand-in-hand with sustainable
development," says Roger Bracke, Head of International
Federation’s Philippines Delegation.
"One step forward would be to more closely assess and monitor
risks in vulnerable communities to ensure that they get enough
warning and are in a stronger position to respond as soon as
disaster strikes," he adds.
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Mayla,
35-year-old mother, lost her house when typhoon "Milenyo"
struck the Philippines at the end of September. (Photo:
Maude Froberg) (p14778)
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Four-year-old
Mary Rose Ignacio (far left), her mother, Agapita M. Ignacio,
and 15-year-old, Michael Ignacio, are now living in the
evacuation centre of Jose Rizal Memorial School in Calamba
City. Agapita’s other two daughters were injured
in the storm and are still in hospital. (Photo: Maude
Froberg) (p14773)
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Red
Cross volunteers trained in first aid provide assistance
in the province of Laguna.
(Photo: Arwin Walo) (p14774)
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The
area of Barangay II in Calamba City was hard hit by Milenyo,
which packed wind speeds of up to 185 kilometers per hour.
(Photo: Arwin Walo) (p14775)
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Members
of the Laguna chapter of the Red Cross said their first
priority was helping the vulnerable, despite the fact
that a tree fell on their roof. (Photo: Arwin Walo) (p14777)
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