Disasters & Accidents

EU grants €1 million to the Philippines for Typhoon Vamco emergency

Manila, Nov 20 (efe-epa).- The European Union has allocated €1.05 million ($1.25 million) to the Philippines in humanitarian aid to support victims of the devastating Typhoon Vamco, which last week caused severe flooding throughout the island of Luzon.

“The EU is scaling up its humanitarian assistance in the Philippines in response to the devastating typhoons that have hit the country over the past month,” Arlynn Aquino, who oversees the EU’s humanitarian response in the Philippines, said in a statement on Friday.

Vamco was the third typhoon to hit the country in less than a month, and it came at a time when large areas of Luzon – the country’s most populous island, with more than 58 million people and including the capital of Manila – were still reeling from the impact of tropical storms Molave ??and Goni.

Three million people have been affected by the typhoons, which left around 150 people dead and millions in damage to infrastructure and agriculture, while 440,000 Filipinos remain evacuated from their homes.

President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the entire island under a state of calamity.

“The EU funding will support humanitarian aid partners who are already on the ground to respond to the immediate needs of those most in need. This includes shelter, food, health care and access to clean water, safe sanitation and good hygiene, as well as other vital aid,” the statement said.

Last week, Vamco caused the worst flooding in half a century across much of Luzon, leaving 73 dead and 19 missing, as well as damage valued at $165 million.

The typhoon crossed the center of the island on Nov. 12, causing the worst floods in history and thousands of people had to take refuge on the roofs of their houses from the mud and debris.

After being hit by 21 cyclones so far this year, the national meteorological agency, Pagasa, warned that the Philippines could still suffer the passage of another four before the end of 2020, a year especially vulnerable to storms due to the impact of the phenomenon known as La Niña. EFE-EPA

sga/tw

Related Articles

Back to top button