Emergencies in the Philippines

Typhoon Bopha leaves trail of destruction in Philippines

Typhoon Bopha leaves trail of destruction in Philippines

By Jen Hardy, CRS Communications Officer Lush trees dominate the landscape in the tropical Philippines. But in this mountainous section of Mindanao, brown, barren landscape now stretches into the distance. The trees that stayed standing were stripped bare on 3 December, as Typhoon Bopha devastated areas of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental. In many areas, ...

Continue Reading...

Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines: ‘It looks like a tsunami hit’

Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines: ‘It looks like a tsunami hit’

“It looks like a tsunami hit. It’s just complete and total destruction. Whole hillsides were washed away in flash floods,” said Joe Curry, CRS country representative in the Philippines. “I’ve talked to colleagues who’ve worked in disaster response for ten years, and they say the devastation in the Compostela Valley is among the worst they’ve ...

Continue Reading...

Caritas responds in Philippines to super typhoon

Caritas responds in Philippines to super typhoon

Typhoon Bopha (local name “Pablo”) slammed into the Philippines Tuesday forcing the evacuation of 160,000 people and leaving hundreds dead. The category 5 super typhoon hit south eastern Mindanao with 160 mph winds, causing flooding and damage to homes, businesses and farms. Caritas Philippines (NASSA) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS is a US-based Caritas member) ...

Continue Reading...

Flooding in the Philippines: Caritas responds

Flooding in the Philippines: Caritas responds

Caritas is working quickly to help people suffering because of massive flooding in the Philippines. Elizabeth Tromans of Catholic Relief Services (a Caritas member based in the USA) is helping respond to the floods in metro Manila, and describes one woman’s story on the CRS blog: Through the metal bars of a window in an ...

Continue Reading...

Recycling timber to aid victims of Typhoon Washi

Recycling timber to aid victims of Typhoon Washi

In the Philippines, where thousands of people lost their homes to powerful Typhoon Washi, a Caritas partner is using timber from logs that were washed down the river to build temporary shelters. In rural areas, they are also distributing housing repair kits – tools, sheeting and plywood – and helping to repair water systems. Read ...

Continue Reading...

Philippines: dispatch from the flood zone

Philippines: dispatch from the flood zone

Carino Antequisa of CAFOD (Caritas UK) is on the ground in the southern Philippines responding to the emergency. He writes: I have just come back from our assessment in the interior areas of Iligan. I’m a bit tired as we had to hike some stretches of impassable roads to reach some devastated communities along the ...

Continue Reading...

Philippines Update: A Flooded City Needs Water

Philippines Update: A Flooded City Needs Water

By Jennifer Hardy, CRS Regional Information Officer for Asia When people living along the river went to sleep in Cagayan de Oro on Friday night, they didn’t know that a wall of water was barreling toward their homes. By 11 pm, communities in this part of the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines were ...

Continue Reading...

Faith helps Filipinos face typhoon tragedies

Faith helps Filipinos face typhoon tragedies

The residents of Mary Grace neighbourhood in Bulacan, Philippines, are used to adversity. Most lived in slums by the railroads for years before being relocated by the government to a new riverside neighbourhood. From time to time, the river rises and floods their homes. While inconvenient, they say prayers to God for keeping their families ...

Continue Reading...

Typhoon Ketsana and Samoa tsunami

Typhoon Ketsana and Samoa tsunami

Caritas emergency officers are at full stretch bringing aid to the survivors of a series of humanitarian disasters. Typhoon Ketsana appeal Tyhpoon Ketsana (known locally as Typhoon Ondoy) has made 600,000 people homeless in the Philippines and left 1.8 million people in need. The storm has left a trail of destruction across Vietnam, Cambodia and ...

Continue Reading...