PRC Rapid Assessment Report – Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
Northern Cebu – Capiz – Iloilo – Antique
20 – 24 November 2013
1. Background
Super Typhoon Haiyan, the 24th typhoon to hit the country for 2013, is considered to be the most
powerful typhoon in the world since 1979. Locally known as Yolanda, it is the second deadliest
Philippine Typhoon that has been recorded, and had caused catastrophic destruction in the
Visayas region of the Philippines, particularly on Samar Island and Leyte.
Typhoon Haiyan entered the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR) on November 6. It intensified
within the next 48 hours while moving on a west to
northwest direction, and was then termed as a super
typhoon. As it moved along, its wind speeds have
increased to 315 kph, making it the most powerful
typhoon for 2013, and the strongest tropical cyclone
on record to make landfall.
On November 8, Super Typhoon Haiyan made initial
landfall in Eastern Samar, with maximum sustained
winds of at least 235 kph, and gusts at 275 kph. It
made an additional 5 landfalls (Leyte, Cebu, Iloilo, and
Palawan) over the course of the day, and finally left
PAR on November 9.
Storm surges, flash floods, landslides and damage from the strong winds plagued the affected
areas of Leyte, Samar, Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, Aklan, affecting about 18 million people, and leaving
hundreds of thousands of families homeless. As of the latest update on November 23 from the
National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), there have been 5,235 dead,
23,501 injured, and 1,613 missing. These figures are still increasing as more areas are being
reached and cleared.
About 2,157,529 families / 10,009,000 persons were affected in 44 provinces, majority being in
Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Leyte, and Samar as the
most damaged areas.
Out of the total affected, 906,090 families / 4,241,097 persons are currently displaced inside and
outside 1,382 evacuation centres.
About 1,112,731 houses (552,419 totally / 560,312 partially) are reported as damaged.
Listed below in the table the breakdown for the most affected provinces:
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Most
Affected
Provinces
Leyte
Cebu
Ilo Ilo
Capiz
Samar
Antique
TOTAL
Affected
Muni/
City
Barangay
Families
Persons
No.
43
36
44
17
26
18
184
1,638
471
1,315
473
952
480
5,329
392,434
377,121
175,874
145,455
109,225
62,604
1,262,713
1,844,452
1,679,970
864,737
694,712
513,364
265,153
5,862,388
233
32
220
28
91
56
660
Evacuation Center
Families inside
evacuation
center
25,602
408
18,757
1,935
4,041
1,829
52,572
Casualties
Dead
Missing
Injured
4,432
73
112
72
224
12
4,925
1,524
5
4
1
38
14
1,586
14,204
348
12
132
320
91
15,107
Page 1 of 8
On November 11, 8 provinces have been placed under state of calamity; this was then followed by
the President issuing a proclamation declaring a State of National Calamity.
The Government, Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), and the UN Disaster Assessment and
Coordination (UNDAC) conducted initial assessments on November 9 to the affected areas and
established forward command posts in Tacloban City, Leyte, and Roxas City, Capiz.
Twelve clusters have been activated: Health, Logistics, Emergency Telecommunications, WASH,
Nutrition, Education, Protection, Emergency Shelter, Camp Coordination/Camp Management, Early
Recovery, Livelihood, and Food Security and Agriculture.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), supported by its in-country partners (ICRC, IFRC, Australian RC,
Finnish RC, German RC, Netherlands RC and Spanish RC,) dispatched emergency teams for
assessment, rescue, retrieval, clearing, and initial relief operations. Priority is to enable logistical
access and inmediate provision of food, drinking water, health care, wash and sanitation,
emergency shelter and essential non-food items.
Communities were wiped out by the strong winds and huge waves. The storm surge brought
waves of water up to 3-5 meters high inland, also affecting those families who took shelter inside
houses and evacuation centres. Widespread infrastructural damage has been reported. Livelihoods
have been decimated. Island towns almost 70-90% wiped out, leaving families taking shelter
underneath thin tarpaulins and scrap materials salvaged from their homes.
Electricity and water are still issues in the most affected areas in the provinces of Leyte
(particularly Tacloban City), Samar, Capiz, Aklan, and portions of Antique, Iloilo and northern
Palawan. In Leyte and Samar, telecommunication lines are sporadic. Several roads were
impassable due to damages and debris blocking the way. The streets are littered with debris and
dead bodies, though clearing operations are ongoing in the main thoroughfares. Other areas are
only reached via chopper or boats. Reports of looting and violence were reported in some towns,
thus, additional military and police personnel have been deployed to these areas to restore peace
and order and support in the relief distribution. Local officials reported they made preparation for
the typhoon, but it was not possible to foresee and prepare for this magnitude of a disaster.
These affected families have become displaced and are staying in evacuation spaces, informal
unplanned camps, in open areas where their houses used to stand, or near their houses. They lack
the necessary facilities such as water, sanitation, and cooking. There is no timeframe set yet on
how long their recovery can take. Some families who have the means have started to construct
makeshift houses, majority of those with damaged houses remain in evacuation centers, or are
living under tents or tarpaulins in their own lots (home-based), or are living in host families,
sharing resources and facilities. Families are a mixture of farmers, fishermen, or employed in or
own businesses. Combined with the loss of house and property, most of the families still cannot
see themselves rebuild within the next six months.
Affected communities and families inside and outside evacuation centres urgently need of food,
non-food items (blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans, and hygiene kits), access to safe drinking
water and sanitation facilities, WASH and hygiene promotion, psycho-social support, and
emergency shelter support. For immediate intervention, distribution of essential non-food-items,
food packages, water, health support, restoring water and sanitation facilities, providing
emergency shelter and shelter repair, WASH and hygiene promotion, and PSP interventions are
identified as main priorities by the Philippine Red Cross.
An assessment was carried out to scope out further needed interventions, including shelter,
livelihood, and early recovery actions. Data has since been gathered from the reports of the
NDRRMC, OCHA, Clusters, and the PRC assessment teams on the ground. This assessment was
carried out in four of the most affected provinces hit by Haiyan.
Page 2 of 8
2. Assessment Methodology
On 20 – 24 of November 2013, two Assessment Teams with 8 PRC-NHQ and Chapter officers
supported by 2 GRC delegates, and together with the PRC local volunteers, conducted rapid
assessment in most affected areas of Northern Cebu, Capiz, northern Iloilo and Antique, covering
a total of 20 municipalities and 44 barangays (4 municipalities and 12 Barangays in Northern
Cebu; 7 municipalities and 15 barangays in Capiz; 7 municipalities and 13 barangays in Iloilo; and
2 municipalities and 4 barangays in Antique). One team covered northern Cebu, while another
team covered Capiz, Iloilo, and Antique.
Municipalities and barangays were pre-selected due to having reported the highest impact from
the typhoon, most affected, and being the most vulnerable. Data was collected through:
Secondary data
A variety of available secondary data was referred to prior to the field visit. This included the
following resources:
• NDRRMC – National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reports
• RDRRMC – Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reports
• PRC - Disaster Bulletins and Assessment Reports
 OCHA Philippines Typhoon Haiyan Situation Reports
 Shelter Cluster Reports
Key informant interviews
Key and focal persons from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council,
Municipal Planning and Development, Municipal Social and Welfare Development were interviewed
in order to get pertinent data on the general situation of their areas. Included as well were the
government plans and actions, gaps and needs of the people, and assistance that has been or are
planned to be provided by other agencies. Moreover, in barangay level, interview was made to
barangay officials to get first hand data regarding actual number of affected persons, individual,
totally and partially damaged houses. Also, the effect of typhoon in terms of shelter, livelihood,
water, sanitation, health, and other aspects of barangay condition were asked. Actual experiences
with the disaster and its’ effects were known by doing short dialogue with the community.
Observations and ocular visits
The team carried out observation walks and ocular visits to the affected areas. Photographs were
also taken to document the damages caused on shelter and infrastructure.
Selection of Barangays
Barangays were selected based on the recommendation of the municipality, highest number of
damaged houses as provided by the municipality, perception of the municipality to its vulnerability,
and accessibility. These Barangays were visited by the team to validate information.
Coordination
Other actors (i.e. Oxfam and Shelter Box in Cebu) were also met with and asked on their plans for
the affected areas. OCHA was consulted to get additional information about the recovery plans
from others organizations (areas of intervention, municipalities, others specifications) in order to
avoid overlapping. In addition to being a joint Movement assessment, the team engaged the local
volunteers and community volunteers who were deployed or assigned in the disaster areas since
PRC started its operation, and who have good relationships with key stakeholders (local DRRMC,
DSWD, DOH, LGU, Municipal authorities) in the affected areas.
Page 3 of 8
3. Key Findings
Rapid Assessment Team, together with the significant persons in the assessed municipalities and
barangays, identified the following as the immediate and priority needs of the affected areas:
Shelter, Relief Items (Non-Food items), Water and Sanitation, Health, and Livelihood.
1. Shelter

In all municipalities and barangays that have been visited, a vast percentage of the
shelters have been damaged. Greater part of the affected families were categorized in
having totally and partially damaged houses, with their houses blown away from its
original place due to strong winds, some were broken down or collapsed, others have the
roofing blown away and walling have been peeled off.

As regards to the assessed barangays, estimated about 80% of the houses are made of
light materials and the remaining 20% are made of semi/concrete. An average, 60% are
totally damaged and 30% are partially damaged. In the island towns of Northern Cebu,
at least 70% of the houses were reported as totally damaged.

Bantayan Island in Cebu, where Haiyan made landfall, is significantly affected. Houses
along the eastern seaboard are almost all wiped out. Houses were also broken by felled
coconut trees and flying debris. Some concrete houses were also not spared by the
strong winds. Luckily, they were not affected by storm surges, unlike in Leyte.

The table below shows totally & partially damaged houses by barangays:
No Province
1
2
Capiz
Iloilo
Municipality
Total No.
of
Barangays
Pilar
24
President Roxas
22
Pontevedra
26
Panay
42
Ivisan
15
Sigma
21
Dumarao
33
Estancia
25
Carles
33
Balasan
23
Batad
24
Data from Municipality &
Barangay
Barangays
Assessed
Sinamongan
Dayhagan
Marita
Mandulano
Ilawod
Tabuc
Agojo
Buntod
Pawa
Agmalobo
Cabugao
Capuyhan
Matangcong
Taslan
Traciano
Botongon
Poblacion Zone 1
Abong
Tarong
Lawis
Zaragosa
Binon-an
Total No.
of
Households
445
372
308
162
515
751
200
192
476
263
297
154
265
173
259
1,174
571
415
588
460
456
741
No. of
Totally
Damaged
House
165
108
106
92
301
584
200
189
250
108
151
75
197
65
135
734
354
326
446
408
213
467
No. of
Partially
Damaged
House
223
143
171
62
136
68
0
10
50
155
149
50
68
55
124
190
217
89
142
26
243
247
Page 4 of 8
3
4
Cebu
Antique
Total
Concepcion
24
Sara
San Dionisio
42
29
Bantayan
25
Madredejos
14
Malapascua
Santa Fe
Tibiao
1
10
21
Barbaza
39
20
493
Alinsolong
Bakawan Sur
Lo-ong
Aroring
Tiabas
Borongon
Baigad
Putian
Kabangbang
Sulangan
Sungko
Tamiao
Obood
Tarong
Maalat
Banukan
Lugon
Langub
San Isidro
Martinez
Gua
Lisub
44 Barangays
320
231
640
582
425
164
450
390
575
1,070
918
550
480
463
436
480
1,200
381
243
480
184
183
144
128
366
446
231
136
295
217
317
950
95
495
450
400
335
349
132
103
274
136
172
28
73
173
196
120
781
55
30
63
65
250
244
172
238
75
139
186
64
222
109
44
20,082
11,896
5,894
17,790

Affected families who lost their houses permanently opted to stay with their relatives
because they don’t have enough money to rebuild their houses. Some families consume
what had been left by the typhoon like the scrap or salvage materials and used it to put
up a temporary shelter. Nevertheless, what they have now is only a temporary shelter
which is not suitable for long durations. Especially with the rains coming in, it is not safe
especially for the children and elderly to be exposed.

Pictures shown below are some of the remains of the typhoon:
Page 5 of 8

According to the community, they prefer to stay in their damaged shelter rather than in
evacuation areas. Some, during the morning, are going to their damaged shelters to
gradually start the repairs and only return in the evacuation centers to spend the night.
Some with no capacity to do repairs prefer to assemble makeshift shelters and stay there
until they received shelter assistance. Based on observation of the assessment teams,
most affected families are home-based, staying in their damaged or destroyed
residences, because they have nowhere else to go and are unwilling to leave.
2. Relief (Non-Food Items)

Closely linked with the shelter concerns. Families demanded essential household items
such as blankets, sleeping mats and kitchen sets. Water containers are also requested, as
some Barangays are doing water rationing or some have to travel long distances to get
water.
3. Water and Sanitation

Water sources present in the communities varied from hand pumps, springs, wells and
water pipes. This is the case for all four provinces assessed. After Haiyan hit, these were
affected in one way or another. Only a few reported actual damage to their water lines.
Some water sources like the water pipes are not functioning round the clock due to the
lack of electricity. Nevertheless, they have natural sources of water, such as wells,
wherein they can use for washing and cleaning. As for drinking, some families also use
the water from the wells, while some get it from donated purified or mineral water. A few
even buy their water from the refilling stations. Only a few families practice boiling water
for drinking.

There are organizations in Panay Island that have set up water bladders and tanks to
some municipalities to cater those families who have no or are far from their natural
source of water.

For the islets in Panay, the local government reported difficulties in water access. The
only water source in the island has been damaged and so they tend to travel to other
island just to get water. Similar situation for the islet Barangays in Bantayan Island; they
have no water source so they travel daily or every other day to the main island.

Electricity in all municipalities and barangays has not yet been repaired, affecting the
water supply. In the municipality of Bantayan, they have set up generators wholly for
their water system.

Regarding sanitation, upon assessment, there were no reported problems. People are
using pour flush toilets and most of them are still operational. Not all houses, though, like
in Cebu, have toilets; thus, they utilize their neighbors’ toilets. For bathing purposes, they
use the wells and even the beaches.

Regarding the debris, in Bantayan Island, there is no daily garbage collection, as there is
also no materials recovery facility in the island. It is a usual practice for residents to
practice burning of the garbage or burying it in a pit. Even during the assessment,
residents were already burning some of the non-salvageable house materials/properties
Page 6 of 8
together with the felled trees or branches. Clearing operations in the island were only
done in the public areas. Families have still to clear their own lots and settle the debris.

In effect of the typhoon, one power barge, situated in Municipality of Estancia, Iloilo,
dislodged from mooring station, ran aground at rocky shoreline, sustained holes on her
bottom hull and spilled bunker oil. Approximately 200,000 liters of leakage occurred
(150,000 liters washed ashore and 50,000 liters spread on water surface). Local DRRMC
took necessary action and was augmented right away by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The spill was already contained in a small area surrounding the power barge. Oil full
recovery and clean-up operation with the help of LGU Estancia, residents, PCG and Power
Barge personnel will be completed in two weeks. Generally it will not affect the fishing
industry in the area.
4. Health

Health concerns are mainly from those injuries incurred during the typhoon such as cuts,
lacerations or punctured wound. Other health issues are the common colds due to the
intermittent weather condition. There were some diarrheal cases, but few cases so far.

Majority of the assessed municipalities have their own functioning rural health units and
some with district hospitals that can accommodate and assist the needs of the people.
However, hospitals (i.e. Bantayan District Hospital) are already seeking for assistance in
terms of equipment (such as generators) and supplies (medicines and supplies) to
accommodate the communities. Local health stations in the Barangays were also
damaged, but are still operational, albeit with few manpower and equipment.

It was recommended to have mobile medical/health stations or medical missions that will
go around the different Barangays. Residents report that it is too costly for them to travel
from their residence to the town proper, back and forth, to seek medical help. Also, they
are prioritizing their shelter rather than their health at this point.

After the typhoon, medical missions from different health organizations have immediately
responded and visited the areas in order to response to health problems that might have
arisen. Currently, in all the areas visited, there were no reported severe health problems.
5. Livelihood and Markets

Majority of the assessed areas are coastal and only some are inland. For those along the
coast, fishing is their main source of livelihood. They own small fishing boats to catch fish
and other marine products that they will sell. For those inland, farming, poultry-raising,
and agricultural labors are their sources of livelihood. Typhoon Haiyan has brought
severe damage to these sectors. Majority have lost their fishing boats and materials and
flooded the farms leaving them no other source of income after the typhoon. Coconut
plantations, along with corn fields were broken down or flattened. Some of the corn can
still be harvested, though it will not bring a big yield. Chicken coops in Cebu were
destroyed, in effect either also killing chickens or rendering them unable to lay eggs.
Nevertheless, rice cultivation resumed in Panay a few days after the typhoon, with rice
planting season on its way, this will enable families to have some food or some source of
funds.
Page 7 of 8

In Cebu, there are also a high percentage of residents dependent on the tourism
business, particularly the resorts. Their facilities were also damaged, and a number of
local families rely on these businesses as their sources of livelihood. The local Association
of Resorts are meeting together and planning on their business continuity. If they will not
take steps now, they will no longer be operational in a few months, was the
announcement of one resort owner.

Provinces in Panay Island (Capiz, Antique, and Iloilo) are mainly involved in farming and
fishing as their main sources of livelihood. Materials and implements used were also
damaged or even blown away. Families voice out their concern for livelihood support
within the next few months.

After 3 days, local stores and markets in Panay Island resume operations in almost all
assessed areas. Taking advantage of the situation, prices have inconsiderably increased.
Local authorities along with the Department of Trade and Industry have put an ordinance
to strictly follow the set and right price for the commodities the people are buying.

In order to facilitate livelihood restoration into the island, the mayor of Bantayan
advocated for support on cash grants (through LBC, active in all assessed areas), food for
work or cash for work interventions (i.e. debris cleaning, chainsaw operations) and
purchase of materials (i.e. shelter repairs) in their local markets. Doing so will stimulate
their damaged economy, and also help them in the long run.
4. Recommendations
In this context, priority needs and interventions should address shelter, water, sanitation, health,
and livelihood concerns.
Rapid Assessment Teams (20-24 November 2013)
Northern Cebu:
Capiz, Iloilo, Antique:
PRC NHQ Denise Avelino
PRC NHQ Karen Eugenio
PRC CEBU Chrisbert Villamil
GRC Joerg Fischer
PRC NHQ Charmaine Marinas
PRC NHQ Cristine Mofan
PRC CAPIZ Dennis Saneo
PRC ILOILO Je Green Basalatan
PRC ANTIQUE Esther Buenaventura
GRC Nikola Angelovski
ANNEX 1: Summary Municipalities and Barangays
Page 8 of 8