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MANILA: 11 October 2013 - As Typhoon Nari (local name: Santi) continues in its track towards the Philippines, Plan International is closely monitoring the situation in preparation for an aid response.
People in the villages are preparing as Typhoon Nari is expected to make landfall over the Philippines on 12 October between midnight and 3am by which time it is expected to have intensified. Meteorologists say the typhoon will pack winds reaching 100 to 185 km/hr and will bring heavy rains over an area of up to 500kms diameter.
According to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 100 families were evacuated from the coastal district of Sabang in Aurora province to take shelter in the sports complex. Meanwhile in Dipaculao, more than 500 people from 12 districts were evacuated.
"We are continuously monitoring the situation and our contacts in the area are updating us of all developments. In times like this, Plan is always ready to make a quick assessment which will guide us if there is a need to respond and if so, how best we could respond,” said Carin van der Hor, Plan’s country director in the Philippines.
“We have extensive experience in disaster response in the country, and our response is focused on education and child protection in emergencies. Our first response frequently also consists of providing life-saving needs, including water and sanitation, if needed. We will meet with our crisis team very early tomorrow morning, our emergency team is ready to be deployed and we are in continuous contact with our partners in Aurora province. We are fearing it might be bigger than Typhoon Utor that hit Aurora province in early August 2013,” she added.
On average 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, with two or three of them devastating. Nari is the 19th typhoon to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this year.
Plan International’s water and sanitation advisor in the Philippines, Edgar Viterbo, said, “I fear that Typhoon Nari will also affect the flood victims in Bataan and Zambales, where Plan has been supporting the families already recovering from the recent floods.”
Carin van der Hor, added, "It's not looking good, and we know from more than 50 years of experience working in the Philippines that when disasters hit, they always hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Children are always badly affected by disasters like this; some will lose their lives, or lose parents, siblings and extended families. Everything that is familiar and safe is disrupted or destroyed, including homes, schooling and family livelihoods. These children will also have seen things that no child should have to see."
ENDS
Media contact and interviews:
Mardy Halcon, Communications Officer, Mobile: +63 917 5435210, mardy.halcon@plan-international.org
Carin van der Hor Country Director, Mobile: +63 920 916 4514, Carin.Vanderhor@plan-international.org
Cate Heinrich, Regional Media & Advocacy Specialist, Mobile: +66 (0)81 839 3032, cate.heinrich@plan-international.org
About Plan:
Plan International is one of the Philippines' longest-serving aid and development organisations, with a special focus on helping marginalised children in 420 communities across the country to access their rights to health, education, livelihoods, disaster risk management and protection.
Plan has worked in the Philippines for more than 50 years and has extensive experience responding to natural disasters and other crises, deploying teams of technical experts to support the immediate delivery of clean drinking water, food, medical supplies, shelter, educational resources and psychosocial support. Plan is also recognised for its expertise in protecting emergency-affected children from abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence.
For more information about Plan’s work in the Philippines, including previous disaster responses, click here.
