Old name alert
Typhoon Sarika struck the Philippines on October 15, impacting more than 8,000 people, leading to the displacement of thousands, and causing serious flooding. The Philippines are now preparing to face the arrival of Typhoon Haima, set to hit Wednesday 19. Having formed over the Pacific Ocean, the typhoon has rapidly intensified with winds of up to 79 mph, and could reach a category 4 or 5 status as it passes over the north of the Philippines, potentially affecting thousands more.
Handicap International has been working in the Philippines for over 30 years and its teams are on standby, ready to provide assistance to the most vulnerable in the event of a disaster. Assessment missions will be carried out after the hurricane hits to identify the worst-affected areas and populations.
“When a typhoon hits, the strong winds either partially or entirely destroy people's homes," explains Eric Weerts, rehabilitation and emergency response expert for Handicap International. “Metal roofs are blown off, stones fall, houses and infrastructure are destroyed with the risk of causing serious injury to the local population, in particular in urban areas with a high population density."
Handicap International has extensive experience in supporting the populations affected by natural disasters in the Philippines. The organization has been working alongside the local communities and authorities to implement disaster preparedness campaigns to ensure the most vulnerable populations–in particular people with disabilities–are properly taken into account.
Over the last two weeks our emergency response teams have been active in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, following the recent hurricane. Handicap International also ran a major operation in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which affected 14 million people and left 6,000 people dead.
More about our work in the Philippines and the latest updates on Haiti.