IRIN
PHILIPPINES: Typhoon death toll rises; water and sanitation worries grow
27 June 2008


MANILA, 27 June 2008 (IRIN) - The death toll from Typhoon Fengshen
continues to rise a week after it devastated much of central
Philippines, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council
(NDCC). The NDCC figures as of 27 June confirm at least 629 dead, more
than 900 missing, and 2.4 million displaced.

The high death toll was attributed to flash flooding, with water levels
as high as a two-storey house. Particularly hard hit were the provinces
of the Western Visayas, the central Philippines island chain. The NDCC
also included the confirmed deaths of at least 124 passengers of the M/V
Princess of the Stars, which capsised off Romblon Province in the
Visayas.

The ferry, bound for Cebu Island, central Visayas, was carrying 849
passengers. Fifty-six were found to have survived. The rest remain
unaccounted for, believed to have been trapped inside the ferry. The
Philippine coastguard, with the help of the US Navy, is trying to
recover the dead bodies, but has been hampered by the discovery of a
cargo of pesticides.

Typhoon Fengshen defied weather predictions. Many of the provinces that
were hardest hit received little advance notice and were unable to
prepare, according to the NDCC, which estimated the cost of damage to
infrastructure and agriculture at about P7 billion (US$159 million).

Water shortages and poor sanitation

According to the Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque, a big
challenge now is the widespread shortage of potable water and poor
sanitation in areas ravaged by the typhoon, particularly in the
provinces of Aklan and Iloilo in the Western Visayas.

"The devastation was really terrible. The whole of Kalibo town in Aklan
is under mud," he said. According to Kalibo town mayor Raymar Rebaldo,
the local water district could not operate because the generator was
deep in mud.

"The whole town was submerged during the typhoon. Water was 8-12ft
deep," Rebaldo told IRIN. "The water is gone now but there is still mud
as thick as a foot deep."

"We have no water. I had to buy from the neighbouring town," Aklan
resident Ursula Eqiuna told IRIN. But, she said, not many could afford
bottled water and depended on pumped water.

"Many of them get their drinking water from open sources. This poses a
threat to the people's health," Duque told IRIN. "They may suffer from
diseases like typhoid fever, infections, or diarrhoea," he said.

International assistance

The US has committed $100,000 in assistance through the Philippine
National Red Cross, as has the Chinese government. The UN has also
promised the NDCC it would assist in ravaged areas.

"We have expressed our willingness to share our resources with the
people affected by the typhoon," Andrew MacLeod of the UN Resident
Coordinator's Office in the Philippines told IRIN. Since the typhoon
struck, the local representatives of UN agencies and NGOs have been
consulting with the NDCC to identify priority needs.

"Water and sanitation seem to be a big problem," MacLeod said, after
meeting NDCC officials on 27 June. He said UN agencies would possibly
provide water and sanitation equipment and other assistance.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC) has reportedly appealed for SwFr8,310,213 ($8 million) in cash,
kind or services, in response to a request for support from the
Philippines National Red Cross to assist 6,000 families for 12 months
with clean water and shelter. Its priority is the prevention of
water-borne diseases, including malaria, measles and diarrhoeal
diseases.

The latest to offer assistance are the governments of France and
Australia. The French ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Chesnel
handed over 70,000 Euros ($110,000) to the Philippine National Red Cross
and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave Aus$500,000 ($480,000).

"The government has it largely under control," noted MacLeod. "We are
just here to assist."

The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons annually. Flashfloods and
landslides often kill hundreds of people. Highly destructive typhoons in
recent years have include Winnie (2004) and Reming (2006) which killed
893 and 734 people, respectively. Typhoon Fengshen is the sixth to hit
the Philippines this year.

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