The Philippines government has appealed for international assistance as rescuers and relief workers are pushed to the limit, two days after tropical storm Ketsana pummelled the northern island of Luzon and metro Manila, killing at least 140 and affecting thousands.
According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), more than 453,000 people were affected, with about 116,000 in 200 evacuation centres.
The appeal was made as another tropical storm was bearing down on the Philippines, further impeding relief efforts.
"I have just authorized the sending-out of a flash appeal for assistance," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters on 28 September, adding that a letter would be sent to the UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines within the day.
The appeal was for aid, heavy equipment, and possibly international rescue teams to assist local government units overwhelmed by the crisis, he said.
"We really cannot leave it too long and if we wait and events prove to be correct in accordance with predictions, we may be too late, so we are requesting international humanitarian assistance," he said.
Teodoro's appeal came shortly after President Gloria Arroyo said the "once in a lifetime storm", which dumped twice the amount of rain as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans four years ago, had "strained our response capabilities to the limit".
"But it is not breaking us," a determined Arroyo said, even as health officials reported about 80 percent of Manila’s health infrastructure was destroyed; many state hospitals were forced to evacuate.
The US, China, Singapore and Japan have pledged relief funds of about US$100,000 in total, while the US military has sent helicopters and troops to affected areas.
Out of reach
But with much of eastern Manila immersed in knee-deep mud, many people have yet to receive any humanitarian assistance.
"We need more help. There is food [but] there are no gas stoves to cook, no refrigerators. There are just too many people needing help," said Marites Fernando, mayor of the eastern Marikina suburb, which has been devastated. More than 10,000 people are crammed into makeshift evacuation centres.
"With so many people still beyond assistance, it will take us a long time to recover," she told IRIN.
At the riverside community of Bagong Silangan in suburban Quezon City, just several kilometres from the government's social welfare office, more than 3,000 people crowded into a covered basketball court waiting for aid.
The survivors escaped the flood on Saturday with just the clothes on their backs, and many children were lying on the cold cement floor. There are no latrines, and human faeces could be seen on the road outside.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a disease outbreak and said it was vital to quickly address the health infrastructure. "Threats to the health of affected individuals include water- and food-borne diseases such as Leptospirosis and diarrhoea," said Shin Young-Soo, WHO Western Pacific director, based in Manila.
"There is also greater risk of acute respiratory infection and injuries or wound infection from doing repairs after the floods. Healthcare waste management is also a priority."
People missing
In Bagong Silangan, Bobby Santillosa, a local disaster relief leader, said no one from government or international aid agencies had arrived to offer help and they were basically just distributing goods delivered by concerned individuals and private groups.
"We are awaiting food, water and medicine. The rescuers arrived too late. People were already dead," he told IRIN.
Twenty-nine people were killed in this area alone, he said, although since there are no updated census figures for the sprawling low-income housing area, it is believed more than 100 are still missing.
"I have not had anything to eat since Saturday and neither have my two children. We need baby clothes and blankets, and everything is just covered in mud," said Evelyn Abesamis, a 55-year-old grandmother, whose wooden house was swept away with all the family belongings.
"Only the toilet seat was left," she said, as she trudged through the mud with her two adult children, carrying her grandchildren, aged three and two.
Arroyo said that while government resources were spread too thinly, massive relief operations were to be carried out soon with outside help. "We are starting to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and to help our countrymen rebuild their homes and return to normalcy," Arroyo said in a statement.
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According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), more than 453,000 people were affected, with about 116,000 in 200 evacuation centres.
The appeal was made as another tropical storm was bearing down on the Philippines, further impeding relief efforts.
"I have just authorized the sending-out of a flash appeal for assistance," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters on 28 September, adding that a letter would be sent to the UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines within the day.
The appeal was for aid, heavy equipment, and possibly international rescue teams to assist local government units overwhelmed by the crisis, he said.
"We really cannot leave it too long and if we wait and events prove to be correct in accordance with predictions, we may be too late, so we are requesting international humanitarian assistance," he said.
Teodoro's appeal came shortly after President Gloria Arroyo said the "once in a lifetime storm", which dumped twice the amount of rain as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans four years ago, had "strained our response capabilities to the limit".
"But it is not breaking us," a determined Arroyo said, even as health officials reported about 80 percent of Manila’s health infrastructure was destroyed; many state hospitals were forced to evacuate.
The US, China, Singapore and Japan have pledged relief funds of about US$100,000 in total, while the US military has sent helicopters and troops to affected areas.
Photo: FAO/UNCS/UNISYS  |
| According to the NDCC, more than 140 people were killed and 453,000 people affected by tropical storm Ketsana, which pummelled the northern island of Luzon and metro Manila on 26 September |
But with much of eastern Manila immersed in knee-deep mud, many people have yet to receive any humanitarian assistance.
"We need more help. There is food [but] there are no gas stoves to cook, no refrigerators. There are just too many people needing help," said Marites Fernando, mayor of the eastern Marikina suburb, which has been devastated. More than 10,000 people are crammed into makeshift evacuation centres.
"With so many people still beyond assistance, it will take us a long time to recover," she told IRIN.
At the riverside community of Bagong Silangan in suburban Quezon City, just several kilometres from the government's social welfare office, more than 3,000 people crowded into a covered basketball court waiting for aid.
The survivors escaped the flood on Saturday with just the clothes on their backs, and many children were lying on the cold cement floor. There are no latrines, and human faeces could be seen on the road outside.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a disease outbreak and said it was vital to quickly address the health infrastructure. "Threats to the health of affected individuals include water- and food-borne diseases such as Leptospirosis and diarrhoea," said Shin Young-Soo, WHO Western Pacific director, based in Manila.
"There is also greater risk of acute respiratory infection and injuries or wound infection from doing repairs after the floods. Healthcare waste management is also a priority."
|
Photo: Jason Gutierrez/IRIN |
| Survivors shelter in a covered basketball court near Quezon city in the Philippines. Health officials warn of disease outbreaks as the survivors cram into evacuation centres - and in this case live among the dead |
In Bagong Silangan, Bobby Santillosa, a local disaster relief leader, said no one from government or international aid agencies had arrived to offer help and they were basically just distributing goods delivered by concerned individuals and private groups.
"We are awaiting food, water and medicine. The rescuers arrived too late. People were already dead," he told IRIN.
Twenty-nine people were killed in this area alone, he said, although since there are no updated census figures for the sprawling low-income housing area, it is believed more than 100 are still missing.
"I have not had anything to eat since Saturday and neither have my two children. We need baby clothes and blankets, and everything is just covered in mud," said Evelyn Abesamis, a 55-year-old grandmother, whose wooden house was swept away with all the family belongings.
"Only the toilet seat was left," she said, as she trudged through the mud with her two adult children, carrying her grandchildren, aged three and two.
Arroyo said that while government resources were spread too thinly, massive relief operations were to be carried out soon with outside help. "We are starting to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and to help our countrymen rebuild their homes and return to normalcy," Arroyo said in a statement.
jg/ds/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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