Tropical storm Trami: HI to bring assistance to the affected communities
Since tropical storm Trami (Kristine) made landfall over the northwestern Philippines, 7,000,000 people awaiting urgent humanitarian aid, and at least 141 people died.
Amalia, a 54-year-old resident of the town of Libon in the province of Albay and mother of 13 children, lost all her possessions in the storm | © M.Clarissa Liberato / HI 2024
For several days, the Philippines has been in the grips of a violent tropical storm. Torrential rain has caused devastating flooding, with mudslides and floodwaters sweeping away houses and farmlands in their path. At least 141 people have lost their lives and a further 21 are still missing.
In the wake of the devastation, the distress of the people
According to the Ministry of Social Protection and the Environment, more than half a million people have been displaced by flooding caused by the heavy rains that that have devastated hundreds of communities in the north of the country. 7,000,000 people are in need of urgent humanitarian aid.
Amalia, a 54-year-old mother of 13 from Libon in Albay province, explains:
“The loss of our livelihoods has broken our hearts. After losing everything in the floods, how will we ever get it back and rebuild our lives?”
Amalia and her children are now living in a makeshift shelter on the street, as her house is still underwater days after the passage of Trami, known locally as severe tropical storm Kristine.
The situation is even more alarming for the most vulnerable groups, in particular people with disabilities and their carers. Myrna's husband, aged 55, is disabled and has type 2 diabetes:
“I'm worried about my husband's health. Since the floods, we don't have the money to buy him insulin and other medicines. I'm cleaning our house as best I can, but he can't leave the emergency reception centre for people affected by the floods because he doesn't have an assistive device”.
4 billion euros in losses and damage
In addition to the flooding and evacuations, the affected towns and municipalities have reported damage to electricity and water supplies and to the roads linking the farms to the markets. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's situation report on Trami, as at 28 October 2024, agricultural losses had reached €2.5 billion, affecting almost 52,000 hectares of farmland and more than 58,000 farmers. The extent of damage to infrastructure has now reached €1.5 billion.
HI assessing immediate needs
HI and its partners are currently in the towns of Cagayan and Bicol (Luzon) to assess the immediate needs of the communities. With the support of the Start network and the European Union's civil protection mechanism, HI is preparing to provide vital assistance in the form of food security and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to at-risk families and communities affected by the storm.
