Quarterly Update:
Philippines Typhoon Haiyan
Photo by Kent Truog for CRS
Photo by Kent Truog for CRS
February 13, 2014
I. Overview
Recovery is underway after Typhoon Haiyan tore through the Philippines in November with 195
mph winds. The storm resulted in more than 6,200 deaths, at least 1,785 people missing and
destruction of or damage to 1.1 million homes. It was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to
make landfall.
Super Typhoon Haiyan struck early on November 8, 2013, at the southern tip of the Eastern Visayas
island of Samar. It traveled west through Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Panay and Palawan Islands before
exiting the Philippines the next day. A powerful storm surge created waves more than 19 feet high
along the coasts. Strong winds battered both coastal and inland communities.
Our Commitment
CRS has committed to helping 100,000 families—500,000 people—with shelter; living supplies;
water, sanitation and hygiene; debris clearing; and income generation and livelihoods. We will focus
on the islands of Leyte and Samar, primarily in the areas of Palo, Tacloban, Ormoc and eastern
Samar. CRS is committed to raising $50 million for this response.
Our Impact to Date
To date, CRS has supported 38,000 families (190,000 people) with emergency shelter, clean water
and sanitation, and debris clearing. Specifically, we have provided 42,921 tarps for shelter;
distributed 35,620 water, sanitation and hygiene kits; installed water taps and bladders (storage
tanks) for 13,120 people to have daily drinking water; and provided cash-for-work activities that
have already removed 395,570 cubic feet of debris. In Palo, we have begun constructing model
temporary homes with salvageable debris and using techniques that are easy for communities to
adopt. We are also training CRS staff and partners to use the iPad Mini and iFormBuilder to improve
the speed and quality of data collection. CRS’ rapid response to this crisis is possible thanks to the
grassroots network of local Church volunteers and supporters around the world who mobilized
resources for relief and recovery activities.
II. Catholic Relief Services Response
Thanks to your support, and the tireless leadership and work of local Catholic partners, CRS
responded immediately in the areas most heavily damaged by the typhoon. The devastation on the
islands of Leyte and Samar was staggering. Relief operations have faced arduous challenges,
including broken communications infrastructure, blocked roads and ports, and humanitarian needs
that increased with each passing day for people living in the elements.
Three months after the super typhoon, rebuilding is underway. Mountains of debris have been
cleared from streets and neighborhoods, toppled homes have been reconstructed with framing
made of salvaged wood and tarps, and schools have reopened.
The Catholic dioceses in the country are noted in the map below, in addition to the storm’s path. CRS is
currently responding in 10 of the 12 municipalities of Leyte and Eastern Samar (Tacloban, Palo, Burauen, Tolosa,
Tanuan and Tabon Tabon in Leyte, and Salcedo, Quinapondan, Lawaan, Balangiga and Giporlos in Samar). CRS
will continue to evaluate needs throughout this first year of response and adapt programming for maximum
relevance, sustainability and impact.
III. Program Overview
Emergency and Transitional Shelter
To date, 38,000 households have received emergency shelter materials.
Built-up areas along the coast have been destroyed or washed away by storm surges and wind.
Although a large amount of debris is hindering reconstruction, many households have started
building simple wood-frame houses after clearing debris. Meanwhile, the national government
has proposed a no-build zone, pending local government legislation, that bars reconstruction
within 130 feet of the sea and 16 feet of a river.
To date, your help has provided the neediest of families with emergency shelter supplies including
tarps and nails. These materials and tools have been carefully selected for use in both short-term
and subsequent phases of recovery. The shelter efforts include training carpenters to work with
community members to build A-frame houses using basic carpentry tools and salvaged or locally
available materials. An important part of reconstruction for long-term housing has been educating
families and construction workers about sound construction techniques, including bracing,
connections, and proper application of tarps.
Photo by Jim Stipe/CRS
Photo by Sarah Gilbert/CRS
Moving forward, your gift will support permanent housing that uses local materials and
corrugated iron sheets in an adapted A-frame design built to resist future natural disasters.
In urban areas like the city of Tacloban, CRS will focus on a community-led shelter program that
includes roads, drainage, household or communal water systems, electrical connections, durable
and safe structures, and community facilities. Residents will analyze, prioritize, budget and plan a
shared vision of how they want to see their barangay, or neighborhood, recover and become more
resilient.
In rural areas, CRS will work with communities and local government representatives to
prepare site selection guidelines to ensure that construction occurs in safe locations. We will also
train shelter committees to monitor construction safety and durability, and provide regular
technical assistance during construction.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
To date, CRS provided 35,620 families with water, sanitation and hygiene kits; and installed
water taps and bladders for 13,120 people to have a gallon of clean water per day.
Families faced severely restricted access to clean drinking water due to the loss of electricity,
damage to pipes and contamination of water sources. Hygiene and sanitation assistance were
critical in the immediate weeks to prevent waterborne diseases that often occur in crowded
conditions. With so many homes destroyed, families had no access to toilets and bathing areas.
To date, CRS teams have provided potable drinking water and distributed hygiene and sanitation
kits. The kits included a jerry can, soap, laundry detergent, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste,
feminine hygiene products, a pail with cover and water purification tablets. At all distributions, CRS
staff and volunteers conducted hygiene information sessions on hand-washing and safe handling
and storage of water.
Moving forward, CRS will ensure that long-term water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure are
part of the rebuilding of homes. We will strive to provide household latrine facilities or, where land is
limited, shared latrines for up to five households. In some cases, we will build communal facilities that
are managed by established and local water, sanitation and hygiene committees.
CRS also will conduct planning meetings with barangay captains and government representatives to
identify suitable locations for debris collection and removal, and for stocking salvageable materials
like wood and corrugated galvanized iron sheets. We will also work with communities to identify
drainage options and build storm drains along neighborhood roads.
Photo by Jim Stipe/CRS
Photo by Kent Truog for CRS
Livelihoods
To date, cash-for-work activities cleared 3,991 tons of debris, garbage and waste, and will
provide 15,000 days of work.
Livelihoods for coconut farmers and fishing communities took the biggest hit. The typhoon ripped
coconut trees from their roots and severed gigantic trees; new coconut trees will take 5 to 7 years
to reach maturity. Meanwhile, many fishing boats were destroyed and are costly to rebuild. People
who depended on these sources of income will need ways to earn immediate income, as well as
establish a foundation for long-term self-sufficiency.
To date, livelihood efforts have focused on the urgent need for debris removal through cash-forwork activities. With debris clogging streets and land, the need for cleanup was urgent. CRS has
been providing cash-for-work opportunities for families to clean their neighborhoods and improve
sanitation. In addition to providing much needed income, these activities are widely seen as
therapeutic for those involved in the hands-on work.
Moving forward, CRS will ensure that people can recover their agricultural assets, which may
include seeds, tools, fertilizer, animals and animal feed. Depending on local market conditions, CRS
will either distribute key supplies, or provide vouchers or cash for people to purchase the items of
their choice. Related programming may include training in advanced agricultural practices,
collective marketing or business plan development. We will place a stronger emphasis on technical
training for farmers and others who have been forced to change their main source of income. From the
start, this will be a market-based response, maximizing economic benefit to small traders in the local
markets and offering greater flexibility and choice to the farmer.
IV. Challenges
At the start, debris-blocked roads and bottlenecks at air and sea ports significantly delayed access
to isolated communities. Fuel was rationed for several weeks. A shortage of trucks led truck rental
prices to skyrocket. In the Archdiocese of Iloilo, goods were transported by three-wheeled cycles
that took more than 2 hours to cover more than 7 miles. Some vital materials, such as nails for
shelter kits, were not available in the quantity and time needed for shelter kit distributions. This led
to multiple distributions. In some places, like Samar, there was absolutely no communications
infrastructure (phone or internet); people were dependent on satellite phones if they had them.
Often, handwritten letters were sent via truck drivers to communicate back and forth.
Current challenges include displaced people from areas now considered no-build or hazard zones.
People who have lived in these locations all their lives are not allowed to return. No-build, no-dwell
or hazard zones are typically within the first 100 to 130 feet from the coastal area largely destroyed
and washed away by storm surge and wind. Debris and large structures—such as washed up
boats—are preventing reconstruction and reoccupation. Also, recent heavy rains and deep mud
have impacted—and often delayed—distributions, rebuilding efforts and, most notably, the living
conditions of those who have only tarps and basic materials for protection.
V. Our Commitment to a Better Future: Disaster Risk Reduction
CRS is proud to be widely looked to as a leader in shelter solutions. We commit to providing a safe
and dignified living environment, and are taking every effort to mitigate the risk of future disasters.
CRS is committed to building back better—increasing people’s resilience with simple low-cost
construction techniques that help houses resist high winds and flooding. Raised floors, pillar footings, and
strong bindings can make the difference between a house standing or falling, losing its roof or keeping it.
Water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure will likewise be designed to withstand future disasters, and
diversified income strategies and savings for the poorest families will help them survive and thrive in the
future.
VII. Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Philippines
Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is vulnerable to typhoons, earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions. Although the country is rapidly urbanizing, many people still live in poverty,
particularly in rural areas where farmers struggle to eke out a living. In the southern Philippines,
long-standing conflicts exist between different groups.
Prompted by the mass destruction and loss of life in the Philippines during World War II, CRS, then
called War Relief Services, first launched relief efforts in that country in 1945. Just one year later,
the agency was providing supplies to more than 800,000 people.
Today, Catholic Relief Services focuses on agro-enterprise and peacebuilding programs in Mindanao
and has teams at the ready to respond to natural disasters. CRS' agricultural programs lift smallscale farmers from poverty by linking them to profitable markets. Our peacebuilding programs
lessen violence and help create tolerance in communities facing interreligious tensions.
CRS benefits from a close partnership with the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The Church’s
presence as one of the country’s key social service providers, matched by CRS’ technical expertise,
gives us a tremendous advantage of serving those most in need. CRS and Caritas Philippines (known
locally as NASSA) have had a long partnership and collaboration. Even before Typhoon Haiyan, three
of the 11 dioceses affected by Haiyan took part in CRS emergency trainings that equipped them with
key skills for a fast, quality response.
VIII. Thank You
A tremendous amount of progress has taken place for Filipino communities so devastated by
Typhoon Haiyan, and this wouldn’t have been possible without you. While families face a long road
to recovery, your generosity from the start has made this undertaking all the more bearable and
dignified, and has resulted in significant headway on the road head to full recovery. We will be there
alongside our Filipino brothers and sisters for the long haul. We’re so grateful to have you with us.
Thank you for all that you make possible.
Photo by Jen Hardy/CRS