HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS
USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) assesses Tacloban and other typhoon-affected areas
GPH Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) aims to prevent human trafficking
International donors pledge more than $414 million to assist typhoon-affected populations
HIGHLIGHTS
U.N. releases its Typhoon Haiyan Strategic Response Plan (SRP), requesting $791 million to assist 3 million people
USAID/OFDA provides support to Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) for a shelter damage survey
USAID/OFDA-funded water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) item distributions underway in Eastern Samar Province
HIGHLIGHTS
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visits Tacloban, announces an additional $25 million in USAID support for typhoon affected populations
USAID/OFDA provides $5.4 million in additional support to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to support early recovery efforts
USAID/OFDA contributes nearly $755,000 for protection activities in affected areas
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 18, 2013
On December 18, following a visit to storm-affected areas in Tacloban, Philippines, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the U.S. Government, through USAID, will provide an additional nearly $25 million in humanitarian aid. This additional assistance – which increases the total U.S. assistance package to more than $86 million for the relief effort – will provide additional food aid, shelter materials, clean water, and hygiene education and supplies for families affected by the typhoon, as well as protection for vulnerable populations. The Secretary also announced U.S. commitment to provide support to a microlending program and a public-private partnership with Coca-Cola and Proctor and Gamble, which would provide assistance to over 2000 small convenience stores to repair, restock and rehabilitate their shops. We will also conduct a feasibility study to develop Tacloban’s airport.
The United States Government emergency humanitarian aid is helping at least 3 million people with food assistance, as well as critically needed water containers, heavy-duty plastic sheeting for temporary shelters, and hygiene kits to prevent the spread of disease. The United States is also supporting programs that help with the identification, tracing, and reunification of unaccompanied children, as well as community-level measures to prevent and combat child trafficking. Supporting the larger U.S. government response in the days following the disaster, the U.S. military delivered immediate logistical, search and rescue, and transportation support and delivered additional relief commodities. In total the military transported more than 2,495 tons of relief supplies and evacuated over 21,000 people from some of the hardest-hit areas.
The United States has had a long partnership with the Government of the Philippines to improve disaster resiliency and risk reduction. The U.S. Government prepositioned disaster response experts in Manila before the storm made landfall and was among the first international responders on the ground to provide aid after the storm made landfall. The U.S. military also provided 24-hour logistical support for relief operations in the early days after the disaster.
In addition, the private sector – including many American firms – has provided substantial support to the people of the Philippines.
HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS
Typhoon-affected households in Tacloban city begin moving into GPH-constructed bunkhouses; shelter needs remain
Tropical Depression Lingling—locally known in the Philippines as Agaton—damaged shelters and crops in areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Affected families continue to move into bunkhouses provided by the GPH; however, the number of transitional shelters built to date is insufficient to accommodate all of the displaced, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the absence of sufficient housing, many families are rebuilding and repairing their homes using salvaged materials, which could result in unstable structures vulnerable to future storms. Humanitarian organizations have expressed concerns and are providing trainings on safer building techniques.
The Shelter Cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian shelter activities, comprising U.N. agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders—cautions that displaced populations living under plastic sheeting, tents, and structures with damaged roofs are particularly vulnerable to the many tropical storms that affect the Philippines each year. In January, areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan were struck by both Tropical Depression Agaton/Lingling and Tropical Storm Basyang/Kajiki, which resulted in 70 deaths and six deaths, respectively, as well as localized landslides and flooding.
By: Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu
MANILA, March 31 (PIA) – The United States of America’s Haiyan disaster assistance totals to more than US$90 million. This was disclosed by US Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Philipp S. Goldberg during a recently held press conference at the US Embassy attended by Regional and National media representatives.
Teamwork among U.S. government agencies and the private sector was responsible for the speed and effectiveness of America's response to the devastation of Super-Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Ambassador Goldberg said.
The devastation was so great, Secretary of State Kerry came to see first-hand how relief operations were going on in Tacloban, the Ambassador said.
Ambassador Goldberg turned over the microphone to the US Aid chief in the Philippines saying that the USAid is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their full potential.
US Aid helps societies to recover from conflicts; and provide humanitarian assistance in the wake of natural and man-made disasters.
When Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms on record, made landfall in the Philippines, USAID helped restore the municipal water system in the hardest hit city, distributed locally and region wide.
U.S. sourced food commodities to 3 million people, provided 20,000 families with emergency shelter materials, and made sure that 45,800 received hygiene kits. (PIA 8)
PHILIPPINES - Tropical Cyclone PEIPAH
AUSTRALIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Tropical Cyclone ITA
ARGENTINA – Severe Weather
UNITED STATES – Severe Weather
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
· In February, approximately three months after Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan caused widespread damage and destruction in the Philippines, the U.N. Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) began shifting its focus from emergency response to recovery, and announced plans to end all major humanitarian relief operations in May, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Each cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian activities in a specific sector, comprising U.N. agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders—has developed a plan to guide the transition to early recovery and development while also continuing to provide emergency assistance to the most-vulnerable populations.
· The U.N. and humanitarian partners continue to prioritize shelter and livelihoods programming in typhoon-affected areas. Of the 4.1 million people displaced by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, nearly 24,000 people remained in 62 displacement sites as of April 11, according to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster. Additionally, 1.4 million vulnerable agricultural workers and 1.1 million other vulnerable workers remained in need of livelihoods support as of December 2013, according to the GPH.
Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service. 02/10/2014
This 37-page document examines the impact of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which struck the central Philippines on November 8, 2013, and the U.S., Philippine, and international response. It discusses U.S. humanitarian efforts from four federal agencies, U.S.-Philippine relations, and possible economic effects of the typhoon. It also looks ahead to related policy issues.
05 May 2014 - Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said on May 02 that the new defense cooperation agreement between the Philippines and the United States will not only deter aggressors and provide a quick response mechanism to disasters but will also help the Philippine Government achieve its goal of improving the lives of the Filipino people.
Speaking before the Banyan Tree Leadership Forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., the Vice President said the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that was signed in Manila on April 28, 2014 is an important pillar of the country’s regional security policy as well as an effective response mechanism to humanitarian and natural disasters.
“A stronger American military presence in the Philippines and greater interoperability between our respective armed forces dramatically increases our individual and collective defense capabilities, providing a dramatic deterrent against external aggression,” the Vice President told his audience that included Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., diplomats, business leaders and members of the Filipino-American community.
“Through the EDCA, we have effectively upgraded our own security platform, without shifting a significant portion of our limited resources to support an arms race and procure weapons systems that exceed our normal defense requirements,” he said.
“It will soothe and calm the investment climate in the Philippines. It enables us to focus better on developing a solid economic base to combat poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and disease.”
Vice President Binay also pointed out that EDCA does not signal a shift in the Manila’s core strategy for regional security. “We have always believed and will continue to hold ourselves to the principle that the future of mankind lies not in conflict nor war, but in dialogue, cooperation, development and peace,” he stressed.
The Vice President said the Philippines will continue to pursue a peaceful solution to the disputes in the South China Sea by opting for arbitration as provided for in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and supporting efforts towards the conclusion of a binding Code of Conduct between ASEAN and China.
“Let me stress, nonetheless, that our support for EDCA does not reflect a freezing of ties with China. Nor do we view the disputes in the South China Sea as the totality of our bilateral relations with China,” he said, citing the increase in trade with Beijing that made it the country’s largest trading partner as well as the historic and people-to-people ties.
“In the end, trade, as well as the deep filial ties that bind our peoples will prevail over the issues of territory and boundaries that are currently threatening our relationship,” the Vice President said.
In his speech, Vice President Binay also said the Philippines must further liberalize its economy to improve the country’s competitiveness and allow it to attract local and foreign investments in manufacturing and other sectors.
“We must harmonize local and national laws to ensure investors of orderly business operations,” he said. “We must cure the policy and infrastructure misalignments that emerge as we cascade our gains to the grassroots.”
He said a true open skies policy with an aggressive airport development program must be undertaken alongside reforms in the electric power industry as well as the modernization of the agriculture sector.
“And we must keep our promise to maintain a clean and transparent government with a stable policy regime into 2016 and beyond,” he told his audience. END
Flexibility gets food to vulnerable following massive storm
“I’m really grateful for the food that saved our lives after Yolanda hit.”
May 2014—A once-in-a-generation typhoon made landfall in the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, leaving a trail of devastation. Category 5 typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, affected 14 million people, or 17 percent of the population. Yolanda killed 6,000 people, displaced 4.1 million others and caused billions of dollars in damages to local infrastructure and livelihoods.
Three days after the storm, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) issued an appeal for emergency food assistance targeting 2.5 million people identified as most vulnerable in terms of food security. Many living on the islands of Leyte, Cebu and Visayas who relied heavily on fishing and agriculture for food had their fish stocks decimated and crops destroyed by Yolanda’s trail of destruction.
USAID was the first international agency to meet the call, authorizing a contribution of $10 million on the same day as the WFP appeal. USAID designed an innovative approach that combined traditional food aid with cash-based models.
Within three weeks of the storm’s landfall, USAID provided WFP and the Government of the Philippines with the tools to provide lifesaving assistance to the nearly 3 million people needing food. The approach combined the flexibility of cash-based assistance—which allowed for the immediate purchase of local rice as well as cash transfers in areas with properly functioning markets—with U.S. in-kind food.
“I’m really grateful for the food that saved our lives after Yolanda hit,” said Alberto*, a local fisherman in Guiuan whose family was among the many who lost homes and livelihoods.
USAID’s cash assistance enabled WFP to immediately purchase 2,400 tons of rice directly from the Government of the Philippines and to airlift from Dubai 40 tons of high-energy biscuits, which are nutrient-dense meal supplements that do not require cooking. Both commodities were part of the first family food packs distributed on Nov. 13 by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
In less affected areas with functioning agricultural markets, USAID provided unconditional cash transfers for the purchase of basic food items before initial harvests came in.
"Our rice harvest will be less than half its normal size,” said Silvia, a rice farmer in Roxas. “We really appreciate receiving both rice, which is not available locally, and the money that has allowed us to buy other food from the shops."
USAID also provided more than $2 million in U.S. in-kind food as part of its initial contribution to WFP’s emergency operation. Two days after the typhoon struck, USAID authorized an airlift of 55 tons of nutrient-dense, meal-replacement food bars and paste as well as the immediate shipment of 1,020 tons of rice from its prepositioning warehouse in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The emergency food products arrived on Nov. 13, followed by the rice on Dec. 3.
As the humanitarian response shifted from emergency relief to early recovery in mid-December, USAID announced its second contribution of $10 million for an additional purchase of 5,000 tons of U.S.-purchased rice and $3.7 million for food- and voucher-for-assets activities. Through these activities, agricultural assets such as irrigation canals and farm-to-market feeder roads are rehabilitated in exchange for either food or vouchers. The rice arrived on Feb. 20, 2014, in time to support food-for-assets activities and targeted unconditional distributions to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled.
The situation in the Philippines highlights the importance of putting forth a multifaceted disaster response. By having the ability to respond both with food purchased locally and from the United States, USAID was able to respond quickly and efficiently to meet the most urgent food-related needs of one of the worst storms in recorded history.
**Last names not available.*
MANILA, 21 July (PIA) – The United States Government recently partnered with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to build community resilient to floods and other disaster events in Metro Manila.
The US Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided an additional P107.5 million (US $2.5 million) to CRS for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the Philippines.
The support will provide training and support to communities in 15 high-risk, flood-prone barangays in Metro Manila and nearby province of Rizal, directly benefiting an estimated 43,200 people.
According to U.S. Embassy, CRS will provide training to barangay officials and community members on areas including risk assessment and mapping, participatory disaster risk reduction and management, and contingency planning.
The program will also build community resilience by undertaking preparedness and mitigation projects, such as waterway and community clean-up campaigns and improvements to evacuation centers and early warning systems, helping to lessen the impact of future flood events.
Since 2012, the U.S. Government through USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance has provided nearly P868.6 million (US $20.2 million) for DRR programs in the Philippines. (U.S. Embassy Manila/RJB/JEG/PIA-NCR)
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines, October 07, 2014 — Nearly 11 months after Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) devastated the Philippines, the U.S. government continues to partner with the Philippines on recovery and rebuilding efforts. Last week, U.S. Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Gloria D. Steele led the turnover of two school buildings at the Tacloban National Agricultural School (TNAS). The schools—containing ten of the more than 165 classrooms to be built by the U.S. government in the Philippines—are designed to withstand winds up to 360 kilometers per hour and an 8.5 earthquake.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez joined the ceremonies and thanked the American people for their on-going support. Angelica Dupa, an 8th grade student at TNAS, also expressed gratitude: “We will no longer be scared of typhoons and other calamities because the new classrooms are stronger than the ones we occupied.”
All of these continued reconstruction and recovery efforts are part of the USAID Rebuild project. Under the Rebuild project, the U.S. government is also working with Coca Cola and Procter & Gamble to reconstruct and restock 1,000 sari-sari stores. Store owners will be trained in basic store management and microcredit. Director Steele also gave assistance to the Barangay Basper Farmers Association, the TNAS General Parent-Teacher Association, the Tagpuro Women’s Seaweed Association, and the Old Kawayan Fisherfolks Association. Overall, the U.S. government’s support to the Philippines for Typhoon Yolanda recovery is estimated at $142.5 million.
“The projects we see today are born from the strong partnership between the U.S. and Philippine governments. As we work together in planting the seeds of recovery, we also direct our efforts toward ensuring that you will be stronger and better equipped to face future disasters,” Director Steele said.
Director Steele concluded her visit to the city by inspecting the ongoing construction of a USAID-funded school building with eight classrooms at the San Fernando Central School and a tuberculosis clinic at the City Health Office. She also went to Ormoc, Leyte to launch the U.S. government’s project, called “Preventing Trafficking in Persons through Sustainable Livelihood Recovery for Typhoon Affected People.” The project aims to reduce the vulnerability of typhoon-affected populations to trafficking-in-persons.
ALBAY PROVINCE, Philippines, October 08, 2014 — The U.S. government has provided Php4.4 million to assist displaced families affected by the Mayon Volcano in Albay province.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology placed Mayon Volcano under Alert Level 3, which prompted the Provincial Government of Albay to evacuate more than 12,000 families living within the six-kilometer radius permanent danger zone.
U.S. Embassy Ambassador Philip Goldberg said, "The United States stands ready to help families cope with the challenges posed by the temporary displacement.”
U.S. Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide emergency sanitation, hygiene and non-food items to families seeking temporary refuge in evacuation centers located in the municipalities of Guinobatan, Camalig and Daraga. The humanitarian assistance, which will be distributed by World Vision for USAID, will focus on improving access to safe drinking water, functioning latrines, and temporary classrooms.
Ambassador Goldberg also expressed support to Albay Governor Joey Salceda’s “zero casualty objective” and commended all the brave families that participated in an orderly and successful pre-emptive evacuation: “The U.S. government will continue to monitor the Mayon situation and work with Philippine authorities to help the affected families.”
The United States is always ready to lend a hand to the Philippines, especially during times of disaster. U.S. government disaster-assistance funding over the last ten years amounts to Php8.1 billion. Beyond immediate disaster relief, the U.S. government also supports the Philippines in strengthening the capacity of communities to mitigate, prepare for and respond to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Central Philippines almost one year ago, has led to a rising concern about human trafficking in the affected area. IOM and its partners have been tackling this problem since the week of the disaster, registering people leaving the area through Migration Outflow Desks and informing them of the dangers posed by human traffickers.
Yesterday in Tacloban their efforts received a vital boost, with the announcement by US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg that IOM will receive a new two-year grant totalling US$ 353,000, working in close cooperation with the Philippines Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the US State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP.)
The new project “*Victim-Centered Counter-Trafficking Awareness in Typhoon Haiyan Affected Areas in the Visayas*” will be implemented in Tacloban City, Ormoc and Cebu. The key objectives are to improve access to referral channels through awareness-raising activities; strengthen the capacity of service providers to identify and assist victims of trafficking; and improve direct assistance through a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Emergency Support Fund.
Ambassador Goldberg noted that IOM is a perfect partner for the Philippines government in the fight against human trafficking due to its global expertise and local presence. “Human trafficking is a global problem that requires both a global and local response,” he noted.
The Ambassador went on to praise the collaboration of local civil society, government agencies and IOM in their prompt humanitarian and anti-trafficking response in the days and months following the typhoon.
IOM Philippines Chief of Mission Marco Boasso said that IOM has been working in the field of counter-trafficking in the Philippines since 1996. As part of IOM’s migration crisis operational framework, it is a key sector in the agency’s emergency response.
In the year since Haiyan, 1,600 people affected by trafficking have received psychosocial support, while 60,000 more have been given information on legal and other services, through IOM and its partners in government and civil society, he said.
Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, Secretary of the Philippines Department for Social Welfare and Development has commended IOM and the US J/TIP for their efforts in protecting the most vulnerable in Haiyan-affected areas.
For more information, please contact Romina (Beng) Sta. Clara at IOM Philippines, Email: rstaclara@iom.int, Tel: +63 927 6801202
