OCHA Situation Report No. 6
Philippines - Floods
9 December 2004


This situation report is based on information provided from the United 
Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team in Manila.

Situation

1. The latest figures on the impact of the successive typhoons and 
tropical depressions provided by National Disaster Coordination Council 
(NDCC) are as follows:

    Dead: 939
    Injured: 752
    Missing: 837
    Houses destroyed: 32,256
    Houses damaged: 94,477
    Estimated Damage: PHP 4.23 billion (USD 75 million)


Needs Assessment Missions

2. The two inter-agency assessment teams have completed their missions by 
air to Infanta and General Nakar, Quezon Province. The assessment team by 
land to Aurora is expected to be back to Manila on Friday 10 December.

3.  Short summary of the findings of the mission to Infanta:

A total of 47,000 residents, 75% of the total population (59,000), were 
affected.

1,509 houses were reported to be totally damaged and 1,685 houses 
partially damaged.

Road access to Infanta is still a main problem as the main trunk road to 
the municipality from Manila is cut off by damaged bridges and landslides.

The affected population will need food relief, and totally dependent on 
the food relief from external sources for the immediate relief phase.

Water source was contaminated with flood waters and being treated with 
chlorine, no certification for safe consumption was done yet.

The main health issues are superficial wounds, especially to the limbs, 
diarrhoea disease, upper respiratory infection in children and skin 
diseases.

The ground floor of the district hospital is severely damaged by the 
flood, with the pharmacy, the operating theatre and other support 
facilities and equipment buried in mud.

Cold chain is a problem, and with the cut in the electricity during the 
flood, the affected area is in urgent need of a fresh supply of essential 
vaccines like tetanus.

Almost all education materials and books in the elementary school and the 
high school were completely damaged.

The team's recommendations include:

    Food relief for the local affected population of about 47,000 for a
    period of 2 to 3 months, in the form of "food for work" programme to
    clear up the town and get back to normalcy.

    Urgent provision of tools like shovels, wheelbarrows, bags for the mud,
    and heavy machineries like excavator, dump-trucks for clearance of road
    network.

    Provision of water purification tablets for safe drinking water.

    Provision of mobile medical team to support the health needs of the
    population having difficulty in access to the main district hospital.

    Rehabilitation of the district hospital in Infanta to continue to
    provide essential health services to the people in the municipality.

    Rehabilitation of the education sector.


4. Short summary of the mission to General Nakar:

Most of the town population (23,000) affected, and 837 houses were 
completely damaged.

There are still shortages of food and drinking water. There must be a 
sustained effort towards improving the distribution system.

Particular attention needs to be paid to the indigenous people in more 
remote areas, who have not received food relief until the present time.

There is risk of malaria and cholera outbreaks, which needs to be 
carefully monitored.

The Government is giving priority to repair of roads, infrastructure, 
schools and medical facilities.

Most of the injuries were sustained from trauma from fallen logs and 
structures that have drifted with the floods.

The team's recommendations include:

    Immediate rehabilitation of roads to facilitate access to the affected
    people

    Urgent check of the quality of water available to prevent outbreaks of
    water-borne diseases.

    Provision of priority medicines/medical supplies.

    Provision of construction materials for emergency rehabilitation

    Provision of seeds and agricultural tools for restoration of the rice
    fields

    Ensuring availability of mobile health teams, psychosocial care to the
    areas where lost a lot of people as well as distribution of essential
    drugs.


5. An update of donor contributions can be found on the OCHA Internet 
Website at http://www.reliefweb.int. OCHA is prepared to serve as a 
channel for cash contributions to be used for immediate relief assistance, 
in coordination with the UN Resident Coordinator's office. For banking 
details please contact the desk officers indicated below. OCHA provides 
donor governments with written confirmation and pertinent details 
concerning the utilization of the funds contributed.

6. OCHA is in close contact with the United Nations Resident Coordinator's 
office in Manila through the UNDAC team and will revert with further 
information as it becomes available.

7. This situation report, together with further information on other 
ongoing emergencies is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at 
http://www.reliefweb.int.

Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34 Fax: +41-22-917 00 23 E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
   Mr. Erik Haegglund
     E-mail: haegglund@un.org
     Direct Tel. +41-22-917 3299
   Mr. Soichi Nakajima
     E-mail: nakajima@un.org
     Direct Tel. +41-22-917 4034

Press contact:
   GVA - Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo, direct Tel. +41-22-917 3160
   NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917-367 5126

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                                    guidelines: www.cidi.org/donate.htm
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