OCHA Situation Report No. 3
The Philippines: Typhoon
4 December 2006


This situation report is based on information received from the 
Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the 
Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC) and the UN Resident Coordinator's 
Office (UN RC).

I. SITUATION

1. Typhoon Durian ("Reming" in the Philippines) has moved out of the 
Philippines and no longer poses a threat to the country.

2. NDCC reported 309 people confirmed dead, 298 missing and 414 injured 
with a total of 832,549 people affected in 86 municipalities and nine 
cities covering 12 provinces.

3. A total of 16,710 people have sought refuge in 100 different 
evacuation centres.

4. Latest reports from the affected areas indicate that 28,119 houses 
were totally destroyed while 91,430 were partially damaged.

5. In Catanduanes Province, news of widespread destruction of houses, 
school buildings and government offices have been reported to the NDCC.

6. As of this report, damage to properties was estimated to be over 
Php34 Billion (approximately USD 634 million) comprising of 
infrastructure damages and agricultural losses.

7. The main roads in the affected provinces have been cleared however 
widespread power and communications outages remain in most affected 
areas; disruption of water supply also remains a major concern.

8. The Philippines National Red Cross reports that casualty figures and 
reports of damages could still rise significantly when communication 
lines are restored in some areas.

9. PNRC Chairman Richard J. Gordon reported that while there was 
apparently heavier loss of lives in Albay province, reports indicate 
that the island province of Catanduanes seems to have incurred heavier 
damage to property and infrastructure.

II. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

10. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has declared a state of national 
calamity today, 3 December 2006, and authorized the release of PhP 1.0 
Billion to fund relief and rehabilitation efforts sustained from the 
onslaught of three successive typhoons - TY Milenyo (Xangsane), TY Paeng 
(Cimarron) and TY Reming (Durian).

11. Search and rescue and relief activities are still ongoing.

12. The NDCC has facilitated the airlift of 52 tons of food and non-food 
items to the affected areas.

13. A Philippine Navy Ship was also dispatched to deliver relief goods 
to the island province of Mindoro.

14. Clearing operations of secondary and tertiary roads by government 
engineering units are ongoing; local search and retrieval teams have 
been deployed in areas hit by landslides and mudflows; inter-agency 
needs assessments by national agencies are still ongoing.

15. The PNRC deployed three teams of experts yesterday to the ravaged 
provinces of Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Quezon and Marinduque to 
carry out a rapid needs assessment of the affected communities.

16. Priority action for NDCC at this stage includes rapid damage and 
needs assessments, search and retrieval of dead and sustaining relief 
operations.

17. An UN inter-agency assessment team will be deployed tomorrow in 
Albay province.

18. The IFRC has released an initial emergency assistance of 100,000 
Swiss Francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, and is preparing 
to release an international appeal soon.

19. The Netherlands Red Cross has pledged 40,000 Euros.

20. The Government of Japan has decided to provide emergency assistance 
in kind (tents, blankets and other things) equivalent to approximately 
20 million yen (about 170,000USD) to the Government of the Republic of 
the Philippines in support of the relief operations.

21. The Canadian government has also pledged one million Canadian 
dollars, half of which was coursed through the IFRC and the other 
500,000 through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

22. The office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) in the 
Philippines reported that JICA and AusAid also pledged emergency 
assistance worth USD 1 million each.

23. The UNRC is in close contact with the NDCC and has offered the UN's 
full support in facilitating international assistance to respond to the 
emergency relief and recovery needs of the devastated areas following 
the government's declaration of a state of national calamity.

IV. REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSISTANCE

24. The Philippines Government also announced its readiness to accept 
offers of assistance from foreign governments, aid agencies and the 
United Nations. The priority needs according to NDCC are:

    a. Water:  Provision of drinking water and water purifying tablets
    b. Health:  Medical teams, social workers and medicines
    c. Food:  Relief goods such as rice, noodles, sardines etc
    d. Non-food:  Blankets, mattresses
    e. Emergency: shelter Tents


25. NDCC stated today that there is no need for international search and 
rescue teams. It is also noted that relief items are available in 
country and can be purchased locally.

26. This situation report, together with the information on 
contributions and other ongoing emergencies, is also available on the 
OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.


Tel.:  +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
  Ms. Paola Emerson direct Tel. +41-22-9171613

Press contact:
  GVA - Ms. Elizabeth Byrs direct Tel. +41-22-917 2653
  NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker direct Tel. + 1-917 367 5126

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