Manila: A humanitarian effort to serve the needs of Filipinos victimised by the recent earthquake that struck Bohol, would require at least $46.8 million (Dh171.87 million), the United Nations said.
Luiza Carvalho, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines said the world body and its humanitarian partners in the Philippines are launching an action plan to meet the acute needs of the victims of the Bohol Earthquake.
“The Philippines experienced successive, multiple and simultaneous disasters recently,” said Carvalho, adding: “Humanitarian actors currently responding to several calamities are stretched to full capacity and we need support to provide an effective, needs-based intervention to complement the Government’s timely and hands-on response.”
On October 15, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Central Philippines island of Bohol and surrounding islands of Cebu, Negros and Iloilo, leaving, as of the latest count by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), 211 people killed.
Aside from the fatalities, more than 752 were wounded. Among those injured, 658 were from Bohol — the province that sustained a bulk of the damage.
According to Carvalho, an immediate concern in the humanitarian efforts is providing emergency shelter for the 344,000 displaced and homeless, as well as provisions for water, sanitation and hygiene, debris removal and coordination, as well as other life-saving interventions.
Carvalho said the arrival of the northeast monsoons in the Visayas makes the need for shelter more critical. “People urgently require temporary and transitional shelter, to protect them from the elements. We are concerned for the most vulnerable, especially the well-being of women and children,” she said.
She similarly stressed the significance of timely and targeted aid for the victims, as many of whom have also lost their livelihood.
The $46.8 million estimated cost of assistance for Bohol only covers the humanitarian dimension of the disaster. It does not include the overall price of damage wrought by the calamity and the assistance needed to get the island back on its feet.
The Australian government, for its part, announced that it will provide P124 million (Dh10.5 million) for the humanitarian needs of quake victims.
Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell said, “The devastation caused by the earthquake, particularly in Bohol, is enormous and staggering. With more than 200 lives lost, 380,000 people displaced, and ongoing aftershocks that aggravate people’s suffering, the extent of assistance required is also massive.”
Australia’s support includes P44 million worth of prepositioned supplies such as family survival kits containing sleeping mats, mosquito nets and water containers through the Philippine Red Cross, rice through the World Food Programme, and health and dignity kits for women through the UN Population Fund.
“The Australian Government has a long-standing development partnership with the Bohol province — spanning more than 20 years — making the earthquake’s impact even more heartbreaking. Australia will continue to assist the Philippine Government’s well-coordinated efforts to address this crisis,” Tweddell said.
Aside from Australia, the United States is also providing humanitarian assistance to the quake victims in Bohol.
