Early on Friday 8th November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, locally named Yolanda, hit Guiuan in East Samar province with category 5 strength, before crossing the Philippines towards the north-west. The coastal area of Leyte province (particularly the city of Tacloban) and the southern coast of East Samar were severely hit, notably by the surges in the form of 1.5 to 2.3 metre high waves, destroying most wood and rush huts (built from wooden posts and bamboo and sawali, without foundations), where mostly the poorest and more vulnerable people in the region were located. In certain coastal areas such as Giporlos, the level of damage or destruction to habitat reaches 95%. Also, because of the constraints linked to lack of access to rural and remote areas, humanitarian aid has so far focused on the hardly hit city of Tacloban, marginalizing the landlocked zones. Luca, ACTED’s Director of Programmes, is coordinating ACTED’s response on the ground.
How long have ACTED’s teams been on location?
Steve and ACTED team member Jane distributing UNICEF hygiene kits in Barangay Angelit. Each household signs to a list prepared by the Barangay captain to confirm they have received the kit.
As soon as the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, ACTED mobilized its teams and is present in the Tacloban area since 9th November. We quickly secured donations in kind (ACTED teams have distributed 440 tents for shelterless populations in Guiuan, the area first hit by the disaster, along with 366 jerrycans and 787 hygiene kits, 2,500 tool repair kits, 15,000 blankets and 15,000 mats with the support of UNICEF and the UK Department for International Development.) and began emergency distributions as soon as 19th November. Our teams are present on the ground, operating from the Cebu logistics hub and Tacloban since mid-November.
What are the challenges met by aid actors in deploying emergency operations?
The damage caused by the typhoon is huge and hinder the emergency response that has begun being deployed by humanitarian actors. Much of the infrastructure is damaged: houses, access to water, sanitation, roads, bridges, public buildings, etc. There are many population movements and 1,530 evacuation centres have received more than 300,000 people, but most families still live in informal shelters on their own land, close to their destroyed home, because they are afraid to lose their belongings if they leave. The primary emergency is now to provide shelter to the affected population, as well as some of the bare necessities. Hygiene kits are also urgently required to prevent the spread of waterborne and other diseases.
What were the conclusions of your first assessments on the ground?
We led rapid assessments in several municipalities in coordination with local authorities and other stakeholders, namely in Leyte province and Cebu. Despite a timid market recovery, the needs of affected, displaced populations and those who stayed behind are particularly important in terms of food, shelter, access to drinking water and non-food items such as kitchen utensils.
During the week of 18 November, ACTED staff members assessed the need for water, sanitation and hygiene assistance in communities across Eastern Samar province. The area was badly affected by Typhoon Haiyan when it made landfall on 8 November. Last week, the team delivered much needed UNICEF hygiene kits to vulnerable households in the region. Credit: OCHA/Eva Modvig
What are the primary areas of intervention for populations affected by Haiyan?
In order to improve the living conditions of populations affected by Haiyan, ACTED first wishes to focus its emergency efforts on distributing shelter kits (blankets, mosquito nets) and household kits (kitchen and hygiene items), and distributing drinking water, in coordination with other operators in the field. We also wish to provide a rapid response to urgent cleaning and waste and debris evacuation needs. To do so, we focus first on a deployment on the basis of community participation to involve the affected people directly. Beyond the emergency of cleaning and debris clearing, we also wish to generate activity and give the people some dignity. The urgent activities must be rapidly completed with immediate cash injection to ensure access to basic goods and services and to feed and help recover the local economy and livelihoods of concerned people. Therefore, cash for work activities will be organised by employing local people, aimed at clearing debris in the area and hindering access to help and relief, as well as building or rehabilitating temporary shelter using locally available materials. To do so, tools and equipment will be distributed to daily workers.
ACTED's Jane distributes UNICEF hygiene kits together with a council representative in barangay Iba. Jane, herself severely affected by the Typhoon which completely destroyed her home and her livelihood, has been working with ACTED as a Team Leader for the past two weeks.
In such emergency contexts, how is access to drinking water and decent sanitation conditions a priority?
The vast majority of displaced persons does not have access to drinking water in sufficient quality nor quantity. Affected populations do not have enough mosquito nets allowing them to prevent the risks of spreading malaria, dengue and other diseases that are easily transmitted in poor sanitation conditions. Therefore, we decided to focus part of our intervention on providing drinking water and to ensure access to essential sanitation services, with an initial project aimed at 54,000 people in Leyte and Samar, alongside Solidarités International and UNICEF.
How much time are these initial emergency operations going to last?
This holistic intervention is being organised over an initial period of six months in order to respond as quickly as possible to affected populations’ needs, but also to prepare the next phases dedicated to rehabilitation and economic recovery.