Members of QRCS relief delegation from Doha to implement a rapid intervention plan for Typhoon Vamco victims in the Philippines.
Doha: With funding from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched an emergency relief intervention in response to the recent Typhoon Vamco in the Philippines.
The extremely powerful storm caused deadly floods, which submerged towns and villages in the northern parts of the country, leaving tens of thousands of locals homeless.
After the typhoon, QRCS’s Disaster Information Management Center (DIMC) started to monitor the situation. It had already been activated since Super Typhoon Goni, which hit the country early in November to gather information in coordination with the Philippine Red Cross.
QRCS deployed a relief delegation from Doha to implement a rapid intervention plan, which involves distributing emergency relief aid provided by the State of Qatar. The delegation has already arrived in Manila to support the Philippine Red Cross in helping the victims in the worst-hit areas.
According to the scheme, the aid funded by QFFD will be delivered to 6,500 beneficiaries, including relief and food items, power generators, the Kit-5 water supply system (which can serve up to 5,000 persons per day), and sanitation and hygiene units.
QRCS will address urgent needs based on the initial assessment like shelter (shelter tool kits), nonfood items (blankets, kitchenware, hygiene kits, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, and family tents), power generators, food items (fresh meals and one-month food packages), cash aid, inflatable boats, and psychosocial support.
As reported by the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the total number of affected people exceeds 1.7 million, with over 324,000 displaced people who were received in nearly 3,000 evacuation shelters. Till the end of November, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) announced 67 killed, 21 injured, and 15 missing.
Thousands of families in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela remain stuck on home rooftops, waiting for rescue and evacuation. Due to difficulties in conducting humanitarian operations in Marikina, Rizal, Laguna, Aurora, and Quezon, the local governments in these provinces called for urgent humanitarian assistance.
Over the past few years, QRCS implemented many relief interventions through its representation mission in the Philippines. These included a response to Typhoon Haiyan (2013), Typhoon Hagupit (2014), the Surigao earthquake and Typhoon Vinta (2017), and Typhoon Mangkhut (2018). Also, there are many development operations co-implemented with the Philippines Red Cross.
