Philippines

In October 2010, Typhoon Megi destroyed homes and affected nearly 2 million people in the Cagayan Valley Region of the Philippines.

Ben Hemingway/USAID

On December 4, 2012, Typhoon Bopha made landfall in the Philippines, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to areas of Mindanao and Visayas islands, as well as Palawan Province in the western Philippines.  USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) activated a six-person assessment and response team and established a field office in Davao City to evaluate humanitarian needs and determine assistance options.  Based on assessments of affected areas, USAID/OFDA prioritized logistics; emergency shelter; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); and provision of relief supplies to vulnerable affected populations in Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, and Negros Oriental provinces.

HUMANITARIAN FUNDING TO THE PHILLIPINES IN FY 2013*

*These figures are as of 12/20/12

Philippines and Republic of Palau Typhoon Fact Sheet #3 (209kb PDF) and map (612kb PDF)

Key Developments

As of December 12, 2012, Typhoon Bopha had resulted in 740 deaths, left 890 people missing, and affected approximately 5.5 million people, according to the Government of the Philippines (GPH).  Approximately 100,000 people were residing in 113 evacuation centers and receiving assistance from the GPH Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).  DSWD also was providing assistance to an additional 678,000 typhoon-affected people residing outside of evacuation centers. 

During an assessment visit to New Bataan and Monkayo municipalities in Compostela Valley Province on December 12, USAID/OFDA noted improved conditions since an initial visit the week prior.  Local authorities reported that DSWD-provided family food packs reached all affected populations.  Most people in the region rely on agriculture for livelihoods, and the typhoon significantly damaged crops in the area.  The GPH has noted that damage to farmland in Mindanao would not affect national food supply and has pledged to immediately distribute seeds and funds to rehabilitate damaged farm infrastructure.

In response to a December 5 U.S. Embassy disaster declaration for Typhoon Bopha, USAID/OFDA provided an initial $100,000 to Catholic Relief Services for WASH support and the provision of emergency relief commodities, as well as $500,000 to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to support WFP’s logistics coordination, warehousing of relief supplies, and road and sea transport to the most affected areas.  USAID/OFDA also airlifted plastic sheeting from its relief supply warehouse in Dubai to meet the emergency shelter needs of approximately 20,000 families.