Period covered: 1 April 2014 to 5 February 2016
Appeal target (current): CHF 94.53 million
Appeal coverage: 95 per cent covered in hard pledges.
Response history
8 November 2013: Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) strikes Central Philippines, causing a massive humanitarian impact.
Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is on highest alert since the typhoon was sighted; after landfall, PRC volunteers and staff respond promptly. CHF 475,495 is allocated from International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF).
11 November 2013: The Philippine government declares a state of national calamity and calls for international humanitarian assistance. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) categorizes Typhoon Haiyan a level-3 disaster, requiring global mobilization and response.
12 November 2013: An emergency appeal is launched on a preliminary basis for CHF 72.3 million to support 100,000 families (500,000 people) over 18 months.
16 January 2014: A first revision of the emergency appeal is made and the budget increased to CHF 126.2 million to support 100,000 families (500,000 people) over 24 months
30 July 2014: A further revision of the emergency appeal is issued, seeking CHF 99.88 million to support 100,000 households (500,000 people) through December 2016.
18 August 2015: The budget is adjusted downwards to CHF 94.531 million in operations update No.13.
Background
On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck central Philippines, killing up to 6,300 individuals and displacing 4 million others. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), massive damage to infrastructure, including roads, school buildings, and health facilities reached up to 9.6 billion Philippine peso (PHP) (approximately CHF 200 million). According to the country’s Department of Health, over 570 health facilities were damaged across the Visayas region with estimated losses of up to CHF 16 million in health facilities, basic medical supplies and equipment. The subsequent lack of access to health care facilities increased incidence of disaster-related disease such as diarrhoea and dengue among communities. This situation was further worsened with families being displaced; living in precarious makeshift shelters; or packed into over-crowded evacuation centres or public facilities. These factors supported field assessments which identified health care as a priority.
Health and care is among the eight sectors in which the IFRC emergency appeal aids PRC in response to Haiyan. The objective is to support the reduction of immediate and medium-term risks to the health of affected communities. This will help build overall community resilience through improving the health status of those affected by the super typhoon, thereby reducing vulnerability of overall populations.
Many frontline health facilities such as barangay health stations, rural health units and hospitals, including PRC blood banks, were destroyed or damaged by Haiyan, further depleting essential resources and hampering the delivery of basic health services.