Reaching out to ‘Reming’ victims

14 December 2006

AT LEAST 579 people died, 608 went missing, and 1,986 were injured in three cities and 31 municipalities affected by Supertyphoon “Reming” in Bicol, according to reports released at 3 p.m. yesterday by the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol and the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) in Albay.

A total of 165,484 houses were destroyed while 208,573 houses were damaged.

At least 6,263 families or 30,769 persons from 368 villages have remained in 71 evacuation centers in Albay, the worst-hit province in the region.

Those who lost their dwellings were housed in schools, chapels, village halls, private buildings and residences, covered courts, and churches, said Jukes Nuñez of the PDCC.

Throughout the region, 653,743 families or 2.4 million people in 2,364 villages were “affected” by the “main hazards” brought by Reming. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration defined these “hazards” as flash floods in low-lying areas, storm surges in coastal areas, landslides near mountainous slopes, and tornadoes.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology also identified areas prone to lahar in case of heavy rainfall.

The hazards have caused massive losses in terms of livelihood, business, property, houses and even lives.

The Department of Public Works and Highways earlier estimated damage to infrastructure at P1.2 billion.

Relief agencies

Before Malacañang sent off to Bicol its mercy mission caravan of 250 vehicles loaded with P200 million worth of goods, several foreign governments, local government units, nongovernment institutions, and private corporations were extending relief assistance (food and non-food items) to the typhoon victims.

They are as follows, based on reports of Albay local offices:

• Unicef, Tan Yan Kee Foundation Inc., Puregold Price Club, DHL-Japan, Aldea Espinosa and Associates, San Miguel Corp., Plan International Philippines, Care Philippines, Cope Christian Aid, Coastal Care, World Food Programme, Mercy Malaysia, Japanese Red Cross Society, International Committee of the Red Cross, Fact-IFRC, Oxfam Great Britain, MSF (Doctors Without Borders), Adventist Community Services, World Vision, Save the Children-US.

• The governments of Spain, Indonesia, China, India, and Korea.

• Zamboanga local government, Commission on Higher Education, National Housing Authority, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, and National Food Authority.

Yolanda Guanzon, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in Albay, also said she had received a total donation of of P31.7 million worth of rice from the NFA and that the provincial government had purchased P5 million worth of canned goods, noodles, milk, and coffee for the victims. Ephraim Aguilar