With hundreds of thousands of people affected by the non-stop rains last week, the United Nations food relief agency is delivering food to the flood victims in the Philippines.
Reports say the World Food Programmes has delivered 52.5 tons of high-energy biscuits for distribution to some 262,500 flood-affected people in various regions.
“WFP is saddened by the humanitarian impact of the non-stop rains over the last week in the Philippines, and we would like to reiterate our solidarity with the Philippine Government during times of emergencies.” – WFP representative to the Philippines, Stephen Anderson
The high-energy biscuits are said to be wheat-based biscuits fortified with vitamins and minerals.
In addition, WFP is contracting trucks to help transport Government relief supplies to affected communities in Central Luzon, a region on the northern island of Luzon, the national capital region of Metro Manila, and neighbouring regions.
The WFP says the ageny stands ready to offer its full support to augment Government efforts when needed.
WFP also announces that the food agency will also distribute nutritious ready-to-use supplementary food to about 77,000 flood-affected children under the age of three on the northern island of Luzon.
Last December 2011, the United Nation Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) today allocated $3 million to enable UN agencies to provide initial assistance to survivors of the tropical storm “Sendong” that devastated parts of the Philippines.
Hundreds of thousands of residents of the island of Mindanao are in need of humanitarian assistance. Reports said the death toll now rose to nearly 1,250 and hundreds are still missing.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) received $1 million each from CERF. The fund will enable the UN agencies to provide emergency water and sanitation services in evacuation centres, and deliver food and logistics support, according to OCHA, which manages the fund.
The World Food Programme will use the funds to provide emergency food to 81,000 displaced people over the next three months.
WFP’s initial assistance includes the rapid delivery of high-energy biscuits, enough to feed more than 7,800 people in evacuation centres in the stricken cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Additional high-energy biscuits for 65,000 people are currently being mobilized, according to an update issued by the agency.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also received $1 million from CERF, enabling it to rapidly build up its capacity to provide emergency shelter materials for the displaced and to start repairing evacuation centres.
The storm swept across the Mindanao region between Friday and Sunday bringing gusty winds and heavy rains that spawned massive flash floods and landslides. “Sendong” has destroyed nearly 13,000 homes and displaced more some 400,000 people.
