UN appeal to help Philippines typhoon victims

The UN and its humanitarian partners launched an appeal for 107.2 million US dollars to respond to the needs of people in the worst-affected areas of the Philippines as a result of Super Typhoon Rai, locally known as Odette.

The UN Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines launched the Humanitarian Needs and Priorities plan on Friday for the needs of 530,000 people in Caraga and Eastern Visayas.

Response efforts  were already under way, said the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), after the Super Typhoon made landfall on December 16, pummelling six of the Philippines' 17 regions.

At least 177 people were killed and 275 injured; over 630,000 people were displaced, with 372,000 of them taking shelter in evacuation centres; and some 200,000 houses were damaged.

OCHA said some three million people, including one million children, are in need of assistance.

The Humanitarian Needs and Priorities plan (HNP) calls for 107.2 million US dollars to support the government in responding to the most urgent humanitarian needs for the next six months.

The plan has been developed based on preliminary assessment findings and early estimates of people in need to enable humanitarian partners to kick-start immediate life-saving and protection activities, focusing on women, girls, and people with disability living in areas hardest hit by Typhoon Rai.

On December 22 and 23, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez visited Caraga and Surigao Province to witness first-hand the damage wrought by the typhoon.

During the mission, he spoke with local officials, frontline responders, and typhoon-affected people.

IMAGE: AP