Typhoon death toll rises; water and sanitation worries grow

The death toll from Typhoon Fengshen continues to rise a week after it devastated much of central Philippines, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). The NDCC figures as of 27 June confirm at least 629 dead, more than 900 missing, and 2.4 million displaced.

The high death toll was attributed to flash flooding, with water levels as high as a two-storey house. Particularly hard hit were the provinces of the Western Visayas, the central Philippines island chain. The NDCC also included the confirmed deaths of at least 124 passengers of the M/V Princess of the Stars, which capsised off Romblon Province in the Visayas.

The ferry, bound for Cebu Island, central Visayas, was carrying 849 passengers. Fifty-six were found to have survived. The rest remain unaccounted for, believed to have been trapped inside the ferry. The Philippine coastguard, with the help of the US Navy, is trying to recover the dead bodies, but has been hampered by the discovery of a cargo of pesticides.

Typhoon Fengshen defied weather predictions. Many of the provinces that were hardest hit received little advance notice and were unable to prepare, according to the NDCC, which estimated the cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture at about P7 billion (US$159 million).

Water shortages and poor sanitation

According to the Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque, a big challenge now is the widespread shortage of potable water and poor sanitation in areas ravaged by the typhoon, particularly in the provinces of Aklan and Iloilo in the Western Visayas.

“The devastation was really terrible. The whole of Kalibo town in Aklan is under mud,” he said. According to Kalibo town mayor Raymar Rebaldo, the local water district could not operate because the generator was deep in mud.

“The whole town was submerged during the typhoon. Water was 8-12ft deep,” Rebaldo told IRIN. “The water is gone now but there is still mud as thick as a foot deep.”

“We have no water. I had to buy from the neighbouring town,” Aklan resident Ursula Eqiuña told IRIN. But, she said, not many could afford bottled water and depended on pumped water.

Photo: Kendi Feliciano/IRIN

Typhoon Fengshen wreaked havoc in Aklan Province in the Western Visayas

“Many of them get their drinking water from open sources. This poses a threat to the people’s health,” Duque told IRIN. “They may suffer from diseases like typhoid fever, infections, or diarrhoea,” he said.

International assistance

The US has committed $100,000 in assistance through the Philippine National Red Cross, as has the Chinese government. The UN has also promised the NDCC it would assist in ravaged areas.

“We have expressed our willingness to share our resources with the people affected by the typhoon,” Andrew MacLeod of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in the Philippines told IRIN. Since the typhoon struck, the local representatives of UN agencies and NGOs have been consulting with the NDCC to identify priority needs.

“Water and sanitation seem to be a big problem,” MacLeod said, after meeting NDCC officials on 27 June. He said UN agencies would possibly provide water and sanitation equipment and other assistance.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has reportedly appealed for SwFr8,310,213 ($8 million) in cash, kind or services, in response to a request for support from the Philippines National Red Cross to assist 6,000 families for 12 months with clean water and shelter. Its priority is the prevention of water-borne diseases, including malaria, measles and diarrhoeal diseases.

The latest to offer assistance are the governments of France and Australia. The French ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Chesnel handed over 70,000 Euros ($110,000) to the Philippine National Red Cross and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave Aus$500,000 ($480,000).

"The government has it largely under control,” noted MacLeod. "We are just here to assist."

The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons annually. Flashfloods and landslides often kill hundreds of people. Highly destructive typhoons in recent years have include Winnie (2004) and Reming (2006) which killed 893 and 734 people, respectively. Typhoon Fengshen is the sixth to hit the Philippines this year.

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