Oxfam helping after typhoon in the Philippines

Flash floods caused by Typhoon Washi have badly affected the southern island of Mindanao in the Philippines where close to 1,000 people are thought to have lost their lives. The cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were worst hit when the storm, known locally as Sendong, made landfall late on Friday and early on Saturday 17 December. Around 26,000 families have been forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in crowded evacuation centres where the potential for disease to spread is high. 

 

"80% of Cagayan de Oro has no running water and will remain without for at least a month. This will exacerbate the poor sanitary conditions of evacuation shelters in the days to come, and has wide-ranging implications on public health."

Noel Pedrola, Oxfam Humanitarian Officer 

 

Oxfam has many years experience working in Mindanao where we run a number of development projects. We are currently assessing the situation with our local partners and planning the best way to respond to the disaster. Our early plans are to provide water and sanitation support to around 50,000 people in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. This will include distributing hygiene kits and providing access to clean water and latrines.