Situation Overview

As of 18 September, more than 890,000 people are affected in Region I, II, III CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, National Capital Region (NCR) and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). Over 236,000 people are displaced, with over 162,300 people seeking shelter in more than 1,780 evacuation centres, and more than 73,600 people staying with host families.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), over 1,477 homes are damaged, with numbers expected to rise as the local authorities conduct damage assessment and reach remote areas. Access is still a constraint due to landslides in mountain areas. News outlets are reporting over 60 dead and more than 40 missing, mostly due to landslides, with eight of the deaths confirmed by the NDRRMC.

Some areas are still flooded, leaving the population vulnerable to diseases including leptospirosis, dengue, acute gastroenteritis and acute watery diarrhoea. Local health units are monitoring for a possible outbreak of waterborne diseases. In Alcala, Cagayan there has reportedly been an increase in cases of dengue that have been referred to tertiary facilities in Tuguegarao.

Government and humanitarian response

Provincial and municipal authorities continue to validate and assess needs, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas. The Department of Public Works is working in Regions I, II, III and CAR to remove debris and open roads to areas cut off by landslides.

Houses made of light materials were most vulnerable to damage or destruction. Many people who sought shelter in evacuation centres as a pre-emptive measure have begun to return to repair and salvage damaged roofs and walls of their home. Families whose houses were totally destroyed, but have left the evacuation centres, are reportedly either living on the sites of their destroyed houses, or are staying with friends and relatives.

Based on initial findings by OCHA-led assessment teams, priority needs are food and agricultural assistance, shelter, and livelihood support. Cash assistance is needed for repairing homes and for farming households to ensure they can access sufficient food and food supplements for children, and pregnant and lactating women at risk of malnutrition. Humanitarian partners are responding to requests for assistance, with the World Food Programme transporting 1,000 metric tonnes of food that will support 166,000 families.

According to the United Nations Population Fund, over 17,000 of the affected women are estimated to be pregnant, with about 6,000 of them expected to deliver in the next three months. There are also more than 11,000 women who have given birth in the last six months. These women require prenatal and post-partum health care, as well as help maintaining proper hygiene and nutrition.

For more information, contact:

Muktar Farah, Head of Office a.i., muktar@un.org, Mobile: +63-917-587-8179

Gina Maramag, Public Information Officer, maramag@un.org, Mobile: +63-917-597-7219