Philippines - IOM is stepping up the pace of aid to help hundreds of thousands affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines to rebuild their homes and their lives.
The USD 11.3 million response to IOM’s initial appeal has been encouraging, but significant new funding will be needed to allow teams on the ground reach everyone in need.
Five operational hubs have been established across the areas ravaged by the super-typhoon on November 8, and non-food aid has already reached tens of thousands in towns and villages in Leyte and Samar.
The money received so far is being used for the procurement, transportation and distribution of emergency shelter kits, repair kits, blankets, mats, kitchen sets, female dignity kits and medical kits for 42,000 typhoon survivors in Tacloban, Guiuan, Ormoc, and Roxas. Priority has been given to the distribution of shelter and repair kits to local schools in areas where classes are scheduled to resume.
These consist of tarpaulins, ropes, buckets, jerry cans, sacks, plastic bags, pails and water scoops. Bleach, shovels, brooms, scrubbing brushes, gloves, and soap have also been provided, together with towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, diapers and female hygiene kits.
“The food and water situations stabilized relatively quickly in the week following Haiyan,” says IOM Chief of Mission in the Philippines Marco Boasso. “So the biggest positive contribution we can make right now is to let people take charge of rebuilding their homes and their communities. This doesn’t just give them material comfort, it also restores their sense of worth and gives them a real say in taking control of their lives.”
On behalf of local government units, IOM has procured radial and chainsaws to assist with self-recovery and reconstruction efforts in Guiuan, which took a direct hit from Haiyan. Thanks to this equipment, the thousands of fallen coconut trees that litter the area will provide the raw material for new and refurbished homes. IOM is also distributing safety kits to protect people from injuries as they rebuild their houses. These contain work gloves, goggles, helmets and antibacterial soap.
The Rotary Club of the UK has also donated 40 Aquaboxes – solid plastic tanks filled with relief items (kitchen sets, shelter toolkits, plastic sheets and school supplies.) Once empty, the beneficiaries can use a built-in filter to produce 22 litres of potable water per day. Information technology company Cisco has donated IT equipment for use in the relief operations.
Apart from shelter activities, IOM is supporting the government in camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), which is vital in a context where some 400,000 people are living in schools, churches, municipal buildings and other spaces. Through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), IOM can identify urgent needs, prioritize humanitarian response and work towards durable solutions.
The DTM has already covered all 43 locations in Tacloban city, accounting for over 15,600 displaced people, and is being rolled out across the affected area.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development and IOM continue to register people departing from Tacloban to Manila, with 1,000 accounted for in the past week. As well as building up a picture of internal migration, this also helps thwart people traffickers, who are known to be operating in the area.
Alongside its partner AmeriCares, IOM has also delivered eight medical kits in Capiz region. These contain sufficient basic and life-saving medicines, especially antibiotics for infected wounds and other medical supplies to last for two weeks. Two generators have also been delivered so that immunization programmes and birthing centre services can continue to be provided.
Health activities need massive scaling up, says IOM’s senior health advisor in the region, Dr. Nenette Motus. “Healthcare and psychosocial needs are tremendous for those directly affected. We also need to ensure the recovery of the local health systems, particularly in under-served on not-yet-reached communities,” she notes.

For more information please contact

Marco Boasso
Email: mboasso@iom.int
Tel. +63917 8485306
 
Leonard Doyle
Email: ldoyle@iom.int
Tel. +63917 8908785.
 
Or contact the IOM Regional Office in Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok:
 
Brian Kelly
Email: bkelly@iom.int
Tel. +6681 8326802
 
Joe Lowry
Email: jlowry@iom.int
Tel. +6681 8708081