Philippines - IOM in the Philippines is gearing up to respond to what is being described as the strongest recorded typhoon in history. Some 12 million people are directly in the path of Typhoon Haiyan in areas still reeling from last month’s massive earthquake, which left 200 dead and 350,000 people displaced.

Emergency teams are being readied by IOM for assessment missions to the affected zones. An initial 12,000 tarpaulin sheets will be made available by the Organization to provide temporary shelter for the many thousands who will likely be made homeless.

Haiyan (or Yolanda as it is called in the Philippines) is the third major disaster to hit the country in the past two months. Some 75,000 people are currently living in displacement centres in the southern port of Zamboanga, while 350,000 people are living in tents and other temporary shelters on Bohol, close to where Haiyan made landfall early Friday local time.

“This is a massive, devastating weather event,” said Conrad Navidad, IOM’s operations coordinator in the Philippines. “It seems likely that the loss of life and damage to infrastructure will be very significant. The Government and humanitarian organizations have already spent millions this year responding to the earthquake and the ongoing implications of September’s fighting in Zamboanga.”

The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated Haiyan's maximum one-minute sustained winds at 170 knots, or about 195 miles (312 kilometres) per hour.

Haiyan/Yolanda is expected to travel over Eastern, Central and Western Visayas, Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions, which have a combined population of 29.4 million people.

Lionel Dosdos, IOM’s coordinator on Bohol island (population 1.25 million), spoke to IOM’s regional office in Thailand on Friday morning as his team was helping local authorities to open over 100 new displacement centres.

“It’s pretty intense right now. Power is off all across the island and the streets are deserted in the regional capital Tagbilaran. Shops are shut and people are being warned to stay inside. It is dark and gloomy, alternating between drizzle and heavy rain. The wind is picking up and all sea and air travel has been suspended,” he said.

“Even though people are scared of aftershocks from the quake, some of them have no choice but to go back into their homes or to go to municipal buildings which have been declared safe,” he added. “Most of the evacuees from the earthquake are being transferred to other centres. People are listening to the authorities and showing a healthy respect for the elements.”

For more information please contact:

In Bangkok: Joe Lowry, Email: jlowry@iom.int, Tel. +66 81 8708081

In Manila: Leonard Doyle, Email: ldoyle@iom.int, Tel. +63 917 8908785 or Conrad Navidad, Email: cnavidad@iom.int, Tel. +63 908 8654543

In Bohol: Lionel Dosdos, Email: ldosdos@iom.int, Tel. +63 906 2228608