Philippines - A USD 100,000 donation by IOM has ensured rapid construction of storm-proof wooden houses for families left homeless by Typhoon Bopha, just two weeks after the disaster struck the southern island of Mindanao.

The houses will be handed to the Philippine government over the weekend and in time for people to move in before Christmas.
 
IOM has already delivered shelter materials, including toughened plastic sheeting, to protect 30,000 homeless people from the elements, and is reaching out to Filipinos at home and abroad to help the emergency aid and reconstruction appeal.

As information trickles in from remote and inaccessible areas, the official death toll from Typhoon Bopha (locally called Pablo) has now reached 1,043 with 2,662 people injured, 844 missing and almost one million left homeless. Only some of these have access to evacuation centres.

“There’s desperate need to scale up the response to this emergency so that people can at least have a roof over their heads for Christmas,” said Brian Kelly, IOM’s Regional Emergencies and Post Crisis Adviser. “We need funds to protect the vulnerable and disabled who have lost homes and loved ones and are literally destitute. We want to get them out of harm’s way and under cover. For this we need funds to purchase, distribute and build shelter for at least 5,000 families. Health and psychosocial care is also urgently needed.”

Thus far only 10 per cent of IOM’s appeal for USD 7 million  in Mindanao has been met. Funds have been promised from the Government of Canada and the United Nations emergency relief fund on top of the direct donation of USD 100,000 from IOM’s central emergency fund. Individual Filipinos have started giving generously, with at least one donation of USD 1,000 received by IOM.

IOM has developed a Donation Tracker website, www.typhoon.iom.int,  to allow individuals donate across the sectors where IOM is delivering relief: emergency assistance, reconstruction, health and life-saving communications. Regular reports to the affected communities and through the media will keep people informed on how their funds are being spent and what aid is in the pipeline.

Tropical Cyclone Bopha is the strongest storm to hit the Philippines in 2012, coming a year after Typhoon Washi killed more than 1,000 people and displaced over 100,000 families in Mindanao. Bopha is also the most southerly typhoon ever recorded in the Western Pacific, a troubling indicator of how climate change may be affecting the Philippines.

For the latest updates and appeal visit http://www.iom.int/cms/philippines  

For more information, contact  

Conrado Navidad
IOM Philippines
Tel: +639173697021
Email: cnavidad@iom.int