Philippines: UN Calls For Increased Humanitarian Aid

New York, Dec 21 2011 2:10PM
The United Nations relief chief called today on countries and international organizations to scale up humanitarian efforts in the Philippines, which was ravaged by a storm last weekend, leaving almost half a million people in need of assistance.

“The Government responded quickly to the disaster with a wide range of national, regional and local assets,” said Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “However, the needs are huge and additional supplies and expertise are needed to rapidly scale up the response and support local capacity.”

Ms. Amos praise welcomed the Government’s decision to accept international assistance and said the international humanitarian community is responding with all of its resources at hand.

According to a news release issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a joint Government and humanitarian country team assessment of the worst affected areas has identified water, hygiene and sanitation, emergency shelter and food as the priority needs.

“The first priority is to help those who are displaced as a result of the floods. People urgently need shelter and clean drinking water, as well as bedding, food and basic household items,” said Ms. Amos. “I am allocating $3 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to kick-start some of this urgently needed help.”

Various UN agencies boosted their relief efforts in the country over the past few days, including the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The UN and partners are now revising the 2012 Humanitarian Action Plan for Mindanao so that they can support the Government in addressing the needs of those affected over the coming three months.

The tropical storm, known locally as Sendong, swept across Mindanao last weekend, killing nearly 1,000 people in massive flooding, flash floods and landslides. Some 285,000 people have been displaced, many of whom are taking refuge with relatives or in makeshift structures.
Dec 21 2011 2:10PM
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