Emergency Response

Monday, September 28, 2009

Photo by omgayeo*. Used under permission of Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic Licence*.

Tropical storm Ketsana (locally known as Typhoon Ondoy) unleashed continuous heavy rain on the Philippines for almost eight hours on Saturday, September 26, 2009. The typhoon has mainly hit the island of Luzon with winds of 85 kilometres per hour and gustiness of up to 100 kilometres per hour.

At the height of the heavy downpour, flash floods and landslides occurred. Collapsed river walls weakened by floodwaters caused more damage. Waters rose so fast that people living in low-lying areas were caught unaware and forced to flee to their roofs to avoid being swept away. 

The onslaught of the typhoon affected a wide area including the National Capital Region, the Cordillera Autonomous Region, and seven provinces. In the National Capital Region, the worst hit areas are Manila, Muntinlupa, and Taguig with the highest number of families and individuals affected. In Central Luzon, the worst hit areas are Bulacan and Pampanga, and Laguna and Batangas in South Luzon.

As of September 28 the death toll has reached 144, with four missing and 23 injured. These figures are still expected to rise as numbers from many areas are still unreported. So far, the National Disaster Coordination Council has reported that the total number of people affected is 337,216 individuals or 61,513 families from 268 barangays [townships] all over Luzon. These families have been displaced because their homes have been washed away.

At present, rescue operations are still ongoing and some areas have not been reached. Some areas are still submerged in water. In areas where water has subsided, water and power supply are cut off because systems and generators were damaged by floodwater. Communications in disaster-stricken areas are severely hampered. Most of those stranded cannot call for help because their mobile phones are dead and can't be recharged.

Though many people are involved, rescue and relief operations are slow due to many factors, including lack of equipment. Many families have no access to food and water. Families packed in evacuation centres are in a very difficult situation, exposed to hunger, malnutrition, and disease. 

Global partners of The United Church of Canada, including The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP)* and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, through their regional networks and people’s organizations in the affected areas, have been monitoring the emergency situation and providing immediate assistance. They have sent out requests to local and global partner organizations for emergency assistance for food, clothing, temporary shelter, bedding, water, and medicines. 

The United Church of Canada has provided an immediate rapid response grant of $10,000 for partner efforts. 

How United Church Members Can Help

Pray: Please hold people of the Philippines in prayer.

Donate: You may make a donation in either of two ways:

• Support the Emergency Response Fund of The United Church of Canada.
• Designate a gift for "Philippines Relief," and funds collected will be shared directly with partners or networks in the region. Cheques and online donations should be made payable to The United Church of Canada and marked "Philippines Relief." The funds will be treated as "designated gifts."

Please note: Designated gifts cannot be counted as M&S Fund credits. However, they are eligible for tax receipts. Congregational treasurers may receive and receipt individual cheques and then forward one congregational cheque to the United Church.

As always with United Church emergency funds, 100 percent of all donations received will be committed to support relief and reconstruction work for people in need. There is no administration fee deducted. This is made possible thanks to the generous ongoing support of United Church members to the church's Mission and Service (M&S) Fund. Contributions to M&S allow the United Church to absorb the staffing and operating costs of processing donations for emergency appeals.

In the case of designated gifts for emergency appeals, the church does allocate 15 percent of your donation to replenish the Emergency Response Fund. These monies are used exclusively to enable the United Church to immediately respond to current and future emergency needs of people in crisis around the world.

For more information contact:

• Bern Jagunos
  Program Coordinator for East and Southeast Asia
  Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit
  The United Church of Canada
  3250 Bloor St. West
  Toronto, ON  M8X 2Y4
  Tel: 416-231-7680, ext. 4077
  E-mail: Bern Jagunos