The balance sheet continues to grow heavier. In the Philippines, Typhoon Rai on December 16 caused extensive property damage and killed at least 375 people. In the central and south-eastern islands of the archipelago, which are particularly affected, hundreds of thousands of residents are still waiting for emergency aid in the middle of their ruined houses. Franceinfo invites you to discover the extent of the disaster in pictures.
Wind gusts to nearly 200 km / h
Tropical Cyclone Rai, referred to as Odette in the Philippines, is the strongest storm to hit the archipelago this year. For 48 hours, the strong winds reached peaks of up to 195 km / h, tearing roofs and uprooting trees. There, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Gustavo Gonzalez, described a catastrophic situation, with torrential rains that caused many landslides.
In total, the typhoon made landfall nine times, in the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, South Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negro Oriental and Palawan. On Twitter, a resident of the suburbs of Cebu showed his neighborhood and his house devastated by the cyclone.
House Tour, climate crisis edition. #OdettePH #Odette pic.twitter.com/0mxKBaDIF7
– Aron Harold G. Pamoso (@aaronharoldp) December 17, 2021
Downtown Cebu and its office buildings have not been spared. Broken windows, cut power lines: Typhoon Rai plunged many neighborhoods into darkness, while flooding continued, Thursday, December 23, to severely disrupt the running water network.
#OdettePH
Aftermath of typhoon odette.
6:00 in the morning around Cebu City pic.twitter.com/ZPR0bQIdyu– AkoRomeo (@Ako_romeo) December 16, 2021
“Almost a week after the typhoon, houses are destroyed, the streets are blocked, danger is everywhere”, alerted on Twitter Angeli Cantillana, communications manager for Greenpeace Philippines, on the town of Surigao, in the eastern part of the archipelago. According to local authorities, the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure will take several months in the most affected areas.
Humanitarian aid progresses with difficulty
According to the storm warnings, more than 300,000 people had fled their homes to seek refuge in safer buildings and less exposed areas. A salutary exodus for some, because several villages have been “crushed” by the typhoon reports thea International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (FIRC), which highlights the “bulldozer” effect of the storm.
MEDIA RELEASE: Philippines: Devastation in areas hit by Super Typhoon.
Villages have been smashed by destructive winds and towns are underwater after Super Typhoon Rai bulldozed across the Philippines.
https://t.co/0tU4JvQ8rR pic.twitter.com/jbsUnvB8GV
– IFRC Asia Pacific (@IFRCAsiaPacific) December 17, 2021
Power cuts and the interruption of telecommunications slow down the flow of information, which raises fears of an even higher human toll. More than 18,000 soldiers, police officers and coast guards were dispatched to evacuate the victims and deliver emergency aid, primarily food and drinking water.
TINGNAN | Patuloy ang pagsasagawa ng ating mga tropa ng Humanitarian and Disaster Response (HADR) missions upang tugunan ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayang apektado ng bagyong Odette.
: 65th Infantry Battalion
58th Infantry Battalion
4th Infantry Division pic.twitter.com/M4DiqubVky– Armed Forces of the Philippines (@TeamAFP) December 17, 2021
With this presence of the military and the police, the local authorities also hope to avoid the looting of shops and housing, which has taken place sporadically. Several landlocked regions have received very little aid, which sometimes has to be delivered by helicopter.
LOOK: Helicopters are flying relief packs from Surigao Airpott to isolated villages hit by #OdettePH in Hekdop Island in Surigao City.
Mayor Ernesto Matugas Jr however says more aid needs to be sent to these areas & other far-flung parts of the city.
: Surigao City PIO pic.twitter.com/QtoP5KJacf
– Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) December 23, 2021
Calls for donations are increasing
Faced with the scale of the disaster, the resources of the Philippine State are not sufficient and many humanitarian organizations are mobilized to bring the affected families to safety. On his site (link in English), the Philippine Red Cross says it urgently needs rescue equipment, medical tents, sleeping bags and mosquito nets. The NGO Care Philippines, for its part, warns of the need to provide families with cooking utensils and temporary shelters.
Many communities have spent days with dwindling supplies and without shelter after #OdettePH
Together with @ACCORD_Inc, CARE included tarpaulin covers that can serve as temporary shelters during yesterday’s food pack distribution in Brgy. Danawan, Surigao City. pic.twitter.com/fucxoP22cy
– CARE Philippines (@CAREphl) December 23, 2021
In addition to these NGO campaigns, there are countless appeals for help from Filipino citizens on social networks, to help their families or their largely destroyed villages.
Hi everyone. Not alot of attention is placed in Limasawa Island in Leyte. 90% of the homes were destroyed from Typhoon Odette. If you have the means to spread awareness for aid to go there and if you have the means to send aid as well that would go a long way. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/a6SFMxX7SW
– marvin germo (@marvingermo) December 19, 2021
The consequences of this tropical cyclone are likely to weigh heavily on the local economy. “This typhoon is much worse for us than the pandemic”, explained to AFP Anton Alvarez, owner of a hotel complex on the island of Siargao. For tourism professionals, this natural disaster comes at a crucial time, as the Christmas holidays usually represent a peak in resort visits in the Philippines.