Philippines: Floods displace nearly 200,000

MANILA, 14 January 2009 (IRIN) - Nearly 200,000 people have been displaced by severe flooding across the eastern coasts of the Philippines, according to disaster relief officials.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the tail-end of a cold front sweeping through the eastern regions had triggered continuous heavy rains from 7 to 13 January, causing floods, landslides and tidal surges that capsised small motorised fishing boats.

Close to 38,000 families or some 191,586 people had been affected in 38 municipalities and 11 provinces from northern Luzon island to the main southern island of Mindanao.

So far, nine people have been killed, either by drowning or in landslides, while nine more are missing. Two others have been injured.

More than US$50,000 in damage to agriculture and infrastructure in the western Mindanao region has been reported in the past week alone, the NDCC said, adding that more than 500 houses were damaged in the area.

Separately, the Philippine National Red Cross said it had evacuated about 8,000 people in the coastal provinces of La Union in the north, Surigao del Norte in the south and in the southwestern island of Palawan, where storm surges had engulfed coastal villages.

"In the town of Aringay in La Union alone a sea surge of nearly 10ft affected at least 90 families along the coastal areas on 11 and 12 January," Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon told IRIN, adding that relief goods were being rushed to areas in the south, although big waves were causing a problem for the coastguard.

More than 70,000 of the displaced were from 11 towns hit by landslides and flooding in Catanduanes, the eastern-most island province in the archipelago. Road systems and bridges in some areas were also wiped out or remained impassable due to debris or floodwater.

Agencies assessing situation

Stephen Anderson, country director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), said UN agencies, with local government and NGOs, were on the ground assessing the situation and the humanitarian response.

"Flooding has been extremely severe, and we have been participating in the assessment of the situation and it is likely that we may be requested to provide additional support," Anderson told IRIN. "We stand ready to respond as quickly as possible.

"It [the flooding] has an urgency right now, but it can be addressed. It requires a lot of effort and I know government and the DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] are focused on mobilising their staff and resources," Anderson said.

While the flood-affected areas were largely far from the conflict zones between the government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, aid agencies had earlier warned it could strain local government resources further and exacerbate an already complicated humanitarian situation.

"Up to now we have been getting requests [for assistance] for Lanao del Sur province. That is one of the affected areas where the flooding has overlapped with the conflict situation," Anderson said, noting that one Filipino relief worker was killed by gunmen last month in an isolated attack after delivering rice for the agency.

Meanwhile, in Cagayan de Oro, frustrated residents said they were preparing for more rains and sought more assistance from government.

"This has been the worst flooding I can remember in these parts," said Edwin Sumahan, whose family was among those evacuated from Isla Delta, a small island in the middle of the swollen Cagayan de Oro river.

Zenaida Emiliano, a neighbour, said she had had to evacuate her family twice in the past week alone. "We hardly slept at all last night because we were afraid of the heavy rains," she said as the waters slowly crept into her home.

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