Philippines emergency: Action Against Hunger assists earthquake and flood victims in several parts of the country

Around 3 million people have been affected by the latest emergencies in the Philippines. On 17 November, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Sarangani. The country continued to face adversity as only a few days later, heavy rainfall caused major flooding, affecting several areas of the country. Northern Samar in Eastern Visayas is the most affected province, with 422,495 individuals or 107,781 families impacted.

Both emergencies have destroyed the homes and crops of thousands of families. Food such as rice, sugar and essential household items were submerged in the water. Fields were washed away after landslides caused by the earthquakes.  Livelihoods and income opportunities are now limited due to the disruption caused by the earthquakes and floods.

Action Against Hunger teams in the Philippines travelled to the affected areas to assess the most urgent needs of the population hours after the first earthquake, which was followed by several aftershocks measuring between 5.7 and 8 on the Richter scale. This was also the case after the floods. Working in coordination with other organisations, they were able to determine in record time the most pressing needs: shelter and mental health.

Based on the results of the assessment, our colleagues started the emergency response, delivering basic shelter items to families in Glan, one of the areas most affected by the earthquakes and floods, as many families have lost their homes.
After completing the distribution of goods to cover the basic shelter needs of affected families, our teams began to provide psychosocial care as part of our rapid response through the #ACCESSProject, funded by the European Union's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO).

Of the 3 million people affected by the two emergencies, it is estimated that more than 2.1 million people have been affected by the earthquakes, and more than 800,000 by the floods. In the face of such an impact, our teams combine response with ongoing needs assessment to ensure an adequate response.

In Action Against Hunger's emergency work, we also focus on the after: we are developing local skills to rebuild infrastructure in a more resilient and disaster-resistant way in one of the countries most affected by extreme weather events and the climate crisis worldwide.

In Glan, Sarangani, one house succumbed to damage after the recent earthquake, as observed during the needs assessment conducted by Action Against Hunger with the ACCESS consortium on 18 November © Abdul Alim Talusob for Action Against Hunger.