Handicap International teams prepare as Typhoon Hagupit threatens the Philippines
Typhoon Hagupit is set to hit the Philippines this weekend, potentially impacting millions of people. Handicap International's teams on the ground are preparing to take action to support the most vulnerable populations.
There is a serious risk that super typhoon Hagupit, which has been gathering strength in the Pacific ocean since Tuesday 2nd December, will hit the Philippines this weekend. Hagupit is generating winds of 215 - 380 km/hour and 10-metre high waves and is now a category 5 storm, the most powerful and destructive level on the scale. It is expected to reach the Pacific coast of the Philippines on Saturday and hit the north of the archipelago, including the capital Manila and the Tacloban area. This area suffered extensive damage when Typhoon Haiyan hit on 8th November 2013. Around fifty provinces of the Philippines have been put on high alert.
"There is widespread panic in Tacloban. Following Typhoon Haiyan which hit a year ago, killing over 6,000 people and affecting 15 million individuals, the population is traumatised," explains Cédric Linossier, Head of Mission for Handicap International’s emergency response in the Philippines. "The schools have been closed. Everyone is preparing for the worst. In Manila, people have been stocking up on rice and other goods from the stores, to make sure they can cope on their own for at least a week."
Handicap International is already active in Manila, Tacloban (Leyte province), and Roxas (Capiz province). The teams are warning the most vulnerable populations about the impending typhoon and informing them about the protective measures they should take. Where necessary, the organisation is making arrangements to move people to evacuation centres. At the same time our teams are preparing their contingency stocks, as well as the logistics equipment required to clear the roads.
"We are also taking care to ensure the safety of the Handicap International staff members in the country and to maintain our capabilities. We need to be ready to respond to this emergency situation," declares Cédric Linossier.
Following the passage of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, Handicap International set up an intervention to support vulnerable people in the provinces of Leyte and Capiz. Handicap International’s teams organised a logistics platform which made it possible to transport humanitarian aid to isolated areas and evacuate debris, over a period of several months. Our teams have also distributed 1,390 tents in Lawaan, in the province of Eastern Samar and Batad, in the province of Iloilo.
A support project for 800 people who lost their working tools in the disaster is still underway, as well as a project to build 1,200 temporary shelters. The organisation is also running a project for children with disabilities, to facilitate their inclusion in the 50 Child Friendly Spaces set up in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. Handicap International’s teams in the Philippines are made up of around 190 people.
Press contact
Tom Shelton
Email: tom.shelton@hi-uk.org
Mobile: 44 (0)7508 810 520
Tel: 44 (0)870 774 3737
www.handicap-international.org.uk
www.twitter.com/hi_uk
Interviews available with Cedric Linossier, Handicap International head of mission in the Philippines.
About Handicap International
Co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Handicap International is an international aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations in over 60 countries worldwide, we take action and raise awareness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
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