Period covered by this Operations Update: 14 December 2012 to 4 January 2013
Appeal target (current): CHF 16,267,217
Appeal coverage: The appeal is 26 per cent covered. Donations are urgently needed to enable Philippine Red Cross to meet the immediate needs of the most vulnerable typhoon-affected families.
Appeal history:
· 21 December 2012: An emergency appeal launched for CHF 16,267,217 to assist 40,000 families (some 200,000 people) for 18 months.
· 5 December 2012: A preliminary emergency appeal issued for CHF 4,523,369 to cover 10,000 families (some 50,000 people) for 11 months.
· Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): CHF 393,198 was allocated to support the national society in its initial response to this disaster.
Summary:
A month after Typhoon Bopha (local name: Pablo) lashed the eastern coast of Mindanao island, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has scaled up its response, with focus during the reporting period having been on delivering immediate relief to affected populations. The national society also continued to distribute safe drinking water to those in need, augment medical services, provide psychosocial support, undertake disease prevention and health promotion, support the clearing of debris, and deliver emergency shelter solutions.
As of 4 January 2013, PRC had distributed food items to a total of 43,475 families (some 219,800 persons) and non-food packages to 7,233 families (37,581 persons). As well as the most affected provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, the response by PRC has extended to other affected provinces, with significant operations covering Agusan Del Sur, Bukidnon, Palawan, Siquijor and Surigao Del Sur. Distributions are ongoing.
The national society is being supported in its relief efforts by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partner national societies including Australian Red Cross, German Red Cross, The Netherlands Red Cross and Spanish Red Cross.
Specifically through this IFRC emergency appeal operation, as of 4 January 2013, PRC had distributed non-food items (NFI) to some 2,000 families. A complete non-food package under this operation comprises two blankets, two sleeping mats, one 20-litre jerry can and a hygiene kit. In Palawan, which is considered malaria-endemic, the package includes two mosquito nets. Distributions are underway, and all the targeted 17,000 families are expected to have been reached by end of February 2013. Thus far, NFI packages for 9,400 families and tarpaulins for 1,000 families have been transferred from the main warehouse in Manila to the affected provinces. Dispatch of the remaining items - NFI for 7,600 families and tarpaulins for 400 families - continues, with the last consignment expected to arrive on the ground, via sea, by 20 January. Relief distributions under this IFRC-supported operation will specifically cover the provinces of Agusan Del Sur, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, Palawan and Siquijor.
Apart from relief distributions, PRC continues to undertake disease prevention and health promotion, mainly linked to the provision of hygiene kits, to reinforce safe hygiene practices. At the same time, as Red Cross staff and volunteers distribute relief items, they support the process of identifying households that will potentially be assisted with shelter repair kits. This process has particularly advanced in Palawan and is set to start during the third week of January in Agusan Del Sur, Bukidnon and Siquijor. Other preparatory work initiated in parallel is surveying the local markets to identify suppliers with the capacity to provide shelter material.
To date, contributions have been received from Red Cross Red Crescent partners, government partners and institutional partners – including the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO). Red Cross Red Crescent partners who have contributed are American Red Cross, Danish Red Cross/Danish government, Red Cross of Monaco, New Zealand Red Cross/New Zealand government, Swedish Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross and Taiwan Red Cross Organization. The governments of Italy and Japan have also given donations. On behalf of PRC, IFRC would like to thank partners and donors for their immediate response to this present appeal. Funds are urgently needed to enable the national society to meet the immediate needs of most vulnerable typhoon-affected families.