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http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32429&Cr=Philippines&Cr1

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UN looks to long-term recovery plans after slew of disasters in Asia-Pacific 

 

Filipinos go hand-in-hand to help each other who were caught in the flood 

5 October 2009 – United Nations agencies are mobilizing to provide longer-term 
recovery aid to a raft of countries in Asia and the Pacific, where a relentless barrage 
of tropical storms, earthquakes and tsunamis have hit millions of people in recent 
days.  

“Within hours after the catastrophes hit, UN agencies and non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs) began working in support of national authorities to respond to 
the immediate humanitarian needs in these countries,” said UN Development 
Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark in Bangkok, where she is holding 
meetings.  

“UNDP is now preparing to support countries’ plans for longer-term recovery after 
waters recede and rubble is cleared,” she added, noting that with rapid support teams 
had already been sent to Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, which have been 
inundated by typhoon-spawned flood waters, and Bhutan, Indonesia, Samoa and 
Tonga, which were hit by earthquakes and/or subsequent tsunamis.  

In the Philippines, Typhoon Parma reached the far northern province of Cagayan over 
the weekend, a week after Typhoon Ketsana (also known as Ondoy) inundated 
Manila, the capital, and affected more than 3.1 million people. The UN Office for the 
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA) said nearly 870,000 people are in 
more than 720 evacuation shelters. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is 
mounting a three-month emergency operation.  

In the Indonesian island of Sumatra the confirmed death toll from three earthquakes 
last week stands at 603 but is expected to rise significantly, since thousands are 
trapped and feared dead in the collapsed buildings in Padang, the provincial capital. A 
nine-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team has been 
deployed there.  

Nevertheless, nearly 70,000 children have returned to classes in Padang, according to 
local education authorities, as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) rushed school 
supplies to the region, rapidly erecting the first of 250 classroom tents, as part of its 
initial support to re-starting education, along with school materials and recreational 
equipment.  

 

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“This is an important sign that life will return to normal for children affected by this 
tragedy,” UNICEF Country Representative in Indonesia Angela Kearney said.  

“Many children I have met amidst the shattered buildings of Padang expressed their 
fears for the future – they are worried about more shocks, about losing their homes, 
and about never going back to school again. Today, children can see that schools will 
re-open, and that they will be able to continue their learning. It’s a first step towards 
bringing the comfort and reassurance that these children so desperately need.”  

Food, tents and emergency shelter, medical supplies, hygiene kits, petrol, generators, 
heavy equipment, water and sanitation assistance, education and post-traumatic 
counseling have been identified as priority needs in Sumatra.  

In American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga’s northern island of Niuatoputapu, where 
more than 120 are now confirmed dead, and waves destroyed homes and public 
infrastructure including sea walls, hospitals, schools, roads and tourist resorts, UNDP 
has made available emergency grants to support coordination efforts, a needs 
assessment and an early recovery plan.  

After wreaking havoc in the Philippines, Typhoon Ketsana moved into Viet Nam. But 
with warning of the impending storm, approximately 200,000 people were evacuated 
by national emergency services.  

“Early warning saves lives,” Ms. Clark said. “With the increasing impact of climate 
change, this area of our work will need to grow in order to help those most vulnerable 
to disasters,” she added.  

Unexpected floods also wrought havoc in South India. Even Bhutan was not spared 
from disaster when an earthquake in the east of the remote mountainous country 
killed 12 people, and damaged nearly 43,500 homes, 89 schools and more than 115 
Government offices and 400 monasteries. A joint World Bank and UN damage 
assessment has begun in two affected districts.