RAPID Needs Assessment: Eastern Samar Province, Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
1. General information:
Name and the nature of the disaster
Date/s on which the rapid needs assessment
was done.
Date on which the rapid needs assessment
report is being written.
Full name, job title, e-mail and phone
number of the team leader/ person writing the
report.
2. Situation Overview
Typhoon Haiyan (“Yolanda”)
November 13-15, 2013
November 14-15, 2013
Frank Manfredi, USNO DRM, +63-9087003286.
Integrating materials from Hilda Winartasaputra
(WASH) and Janis Risdell (CPiE)
2.1 Nature of the Emergency:
Typhoon Haiyan (known as “Yolanda” in the Philippines), perhaps the most powerful storm on
record, passed through the Philippines between November 6-8, 2013, making landfall near
Guiuan, Eastern Samar on Nov. By the time it left the Philippines Area of Responsibility, over 9
million people (in over 1.96 HHs) had been affected. Of this number, over 1.48 million were
displaced.1 The numbers of those killed or injured by Haiyan and its effects are still being
compiled but current National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council figures have
topped 3,600 killed, with the count continuing. The United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), citing other Government of the Philippines and local
government unit figures lists over 11.8 million people affected, including 921,800 displaced, as
well as 4,460 killed.2 The NDRRMC reports 253,049 houses damaged or destroyed (136,247
totally damaged; 117,802 partially damaged).3
2.2 Geographical Extent of Haiyan’s Impact:
Haiyan affected areas within nine regions of the Philippines, with the Eastern Visayas (Region
VIII) experiencing some of the heaviest damages and losses. Within this region, the Provinces of
Eastern Samar and Leyte suffered major damage.
2.3 Haiyan’s Impact on Eastern Samar:
NDRRMC estimates a total of 428,877 people (in 91,252 households) impacted throughout
Eastern Samar Province, including 12,815 currently sheltering in government Evacuation Centers
(ECs). Figures for affected population of each Eastern Samar municipality are listed in the table
below:
Barangay/City
Arteche
Balangiga
Population
Affected
Population
15,164
12,756
1
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Sitrep No. 20 Effects of Typhoon “Yolanda”
(Haiyan), 15 November 2013, 6:00am.
2 UN OCHA “Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan Situation Report No. 8 (as of 14 November 2013)”, citing DSWD, NDRRMC, and
Regional Task Force figures for those affected, displaced, and killed, respectively.
3 NDRRMC, Sitrep No. 20 Effects of Yolanda.
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Balangkayan
Borongan City
Can-Avid
Dolores
General
MacArthur
Giporlos
Guiuan
Hernani
Jipapad
Lawaan
Llorente
Maslog
Maydolong
Mercedes
Oras
Quinapondan
Salcedo
San Julian
San Policarpo
Sulat
Taft
Total
9,046
64,457
19,785
37,912
12,214
12,040
47,037
8,070
7,397
11,612
19,101
4,781
13,614
5,369
34,760
13,841
19,970
13,748
13,836
15,184
17,183
428,877
Map of Eastern Samar
3. Needs
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3.1 Specific Needs of Children:
Children face needs across sectors as Haiyan disrupted or destroyed most basic services and
protections, increasing physical, emotional, and development dangers facing children and youth.
WASH:
 Safe drinking water (GoP min standard: 50 l/person/day) due to disruption of water
services, damage to water sources.
 Toilet/Latrine Facilities: A minimum of 1 for 100 people moving toward 1:20 (siting,
privacy, and lighting issues must also be considered to address protection concerns and
dignity of women, adolescent girls, and children);
 Hygiene interventions: Given disruptions to water services and supplies, as well as
significant displacement and associated crowded conditions, hygiene needs among
children and families must be met.
Child Protection in Emergencies:
 Psychosocial Support: Children and caregivers, facing very high levels of stress and
emotional distress, need PSS activities.
 Family Reunification/Tracing: Children have been reported separated from caregivers,
by death, injury, evacuation or migration, increasing their vulnerability to violence,
exploitation, abuse, and neglect. These conditions also exacerbate concerns of increases
in trafficking of children and youth.4
 Child Friendly Spaces: The conditions noted above also necessitate child protection
programming including Child Friendly Spaces to mitigate on-going risks and provide
venues to begin addressing PSS needs among children (as well as venues for
complementary interventions, e.g., women’s Protection/GBV, health and nutrition for
pregnant and lactating women, etc.).
 Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Services: Women and girls face increased risk
of violence (including sexual violence), exploitation, and abuse. Conditions in
overcrowded evacuation centers can exacerbate these risks. GBV Prevention and
Services to Survivors are required.
 Community-based Child Protection Programs: Awareness-raising on Child Protection
issues, support to Barangay Child Protection Councils, and strengthening referral
mechanisms for Child Protection services.
Shelter:

Emergency Shelter: Displaced children and household members require emergency
shelter interventions providing safe and dignified covered shelter. In the short-term, this
need must be met with Emergency Shelter Kits, through hosting arrangements, and later
transitional shelter options will also be key elements on the way to permanent shelter
solutions for children and families.
Education:



Temporary Classrooms/Learning Spaces: With many schools damaged, destroyed, or
being used as evacuation centers, schooling has been disrupted across Eastern Samar,
leading to the need for temporary classrooms in many areas.
Replacement of School Supplies: Damaged and missing learning materials and
classroom and school supplies will also need to be replaced.
Rehabilitation/reconstruction of damaged or destroyed schools and facilities:
Classrooms and other school facilities will need to be rehabilitated and, where destroyed,
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During the relatively smaller TS Washi (“Sendong”) emergency, trafficking – predominantly among adolescent girls aged
14-17 years – is estimated to have increased by 10% (OCHA and ECPAT information, cite needed).
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rebuilt. School sanitation facilities will also need to be rehabbed or rebuilt. This latter
point will be important to ensuring that adolescent girls are able to return to school.
3.2 Effect on Livelihoods:
As in other affected areas, communities in Eastern Samar face disruption or loss of livelihoods
due to Haiyan. Losses have followed damage or destruction of agricultural lands, physical
infrastructure, and productive assets.
3.3 Effects on Basic Services:
Basic services have been disrupted in many areas of Eastern Samar. Health facilities, transport
systems, and municipal services – including water and sanitation systems – have been damaged or
rendered non-functional by the storm and its effects. Significantly, food supplies have also been
disrupted in some areas.
3.4 Effects on Information Systems:
Phone and mobile communications were severely disrupted, with mobile communications slowly
being restored in affected areas on Eastern Samar.
4. Coverage and Gaps analysis
4.1 Coverage by Humanitarian Assistance:
Logistical difficulties have hampered early efforts at reaching populations, particularly those in
more remote locations. Currently, gaps exist in most areas for humanitarian response.
However, with international efforts ramping up and logistical hubs being established, coverage
will increase in the coming days and weeks.
4.2 To what extent are the needs of affected populations addressed?
With humanitarian assistance efforts just starting to come on-line and the previously-mentioned
logistical difficulties have slowed the response start-up. In some cases, areas which have
garnered significant press coverage are receiving a disproportionate focus of attention. In order to
avoid duplication or gaps in coverage careful coordination through relevant sector clusters will be
extremely important.
4.3 What are the specific needs and gaps related to children?
Child Protection issues remain to be addressed in a systematic and coordinated fashion.
Disruption of schooling is another important challenge for affected children (particularly due to
the “normalizing” effect that schooling brings to young lives). Finally, Nutrition concerns may
lead to developmental delays among impacted children, if not addressed in the short-term.
5. Risks
5.1 Risks to which the Population Is exposed include significant public health risks from the
combination of lack of adequate shelter, lack of clean water, crowded conditions for displaced
persons. These same conditions might exacerbate the risks children (notably adolescent girls) and
women face from violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect.
Basic needs must be met in the short-term, including the needs for adequate covered shelter and
public health interventions focused on supporting the existing public health system to cover
health care needs. CPiE and GBV prevention and assistance programs must be integrated into
response programs. Gender programming focused on engaging girls and young women in
response efforts will be critical to mitigating the disproportionate risks that girls face in the wake
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of emergencies.
6. Projected Trend
6.1 Forecast:
Despite current access issues and logistical challenges which have slowed the initial
response, these challenges will be reduced as more aid comes on line and donors and the
GoP ramp-up their response efforts. At the same time, the sheer scale and destructiveness
of Haiyan suggests that the immediate response and early recovery phases will be
followed by years of reconstruction. Donors and implementing organizations must be
prepared from the start to lobby governments, IOs, and international financial institutions
to ensure that attention does not drift once the immediate humanitarian crisis has eased.
7. Response Capacity of national and local authorities and civil society actors
Response capacities of local (sub-national) government actors have seemed to be
overwhelmed by the sheers magnitude of the emergency. In some municipalities, local
governments have effectively ceased to function, in the worst cases abandoning their
responsibilities. While national level actors, prominently the NDRRMC and DSWD,
have performed somewhat better, they have been beset by the same delays and logistical
difficulties that INGOs and private groups have experienced.
Initial “pre-emptive” evacuations in cities and larger towns may have resulted in a
somewhat lower toll of deaths and injuries than would have otherwise been the case.
However, with national and local government providers struggling to reach survivors and
re-establish basic services, critical support will be needed from private sector actors and
the international community.
8. International response capacity within the country
8.1 What is the impact on the international response capacity?
8.2 Which agencies/organizations are located in the area?
8.3 What have they been doing and what are they likely to do in response to the situation?
Who
CRS
WFP
UNICEF
IOM
World Vision
Where
Types of interventions
Shelter, NFIs, WASH
Food Assistance
Eastern Samar
Eastern Samar
WASH, Nutrition
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9. Humanitarian Access
9.1 What are the logistic considerations and options for organising a response?
9.2 What are the security considerations for organising a response?
9.3 Are civil-military relations a feature of the context? If so where and what types of
interventions?
10. Humanitarian Country Team’s strategic Priorities
10.1 Sectors identified for intervention
Within Eastern Samar, Plan has selected the following sectors for emergency phase interventions:
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Emergency Shelter
WASH (including point of use water treatment)
Key NFIs
Child Protection
Education
Plan’s initial Eastern Samar target areas are listed below:
Municipality
# of
villages
2010 HH
(5/HH)
Population
Affected HH
(70%)
Affected
Population
(70%)
Target HH
(25%)
Target
Population
(25%)
Eastern Samar
BALANGIGA
GENERAL
MACARTHUR
13
2,551
12,756
1,786
8,929
638
3,189
30
2,443
12,214
1,710
8,550
611
3,054
GIPORLOS
18
2,408
12,040
1,686
8,428
602
3,010
GUIUAN
60
9,407
47,037
6,585
32,926
2,352
11,759
HERNANI
13
1,614
8,070
1,130
5,649
404
2,018
LAWAAN
16
2,322
11,612
1,625
8,128
581
2,903
MERCEDES
16
1,074
5,369
752
3,758
268
1,342
QUINAPONDAN
25
2,768
13,841
1,938
9,689
692
3,460
SALCEDO
41
3,994
19,970
2,796
13,979
999
4,993
TOTAL
232
28,581
142,909
20,007
100,036
7,145
35,727
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11. Analysis and recommendation on what needs and gaps Plan should respond to.
Given its significant programming presence throughout the Visayas, including Eastern Samar,
Plan should be prepared to contribute to the initial emergency response phase to meet needs and
limit or reduce suffering among residents:
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Emergency Shelter
Food Security
WASH
Key NFIs
Temporary classrooms/school spaces
CFS
These should be complemented by programs around areas key to Plan:
 CCDRR
 Education (including rehabilitation of school facilities)
Finally, given its long-term commitment to the development of communities in the Eastern
Visayas, Plan may expect to remain after many other organizations have departed the scene. This
suggests that Plan, more than most, will have a role to play in the longer-term rehabilitation dn
reconstruction of the area.
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List specific unmet needs.
Some of the cross cutting issues need to be listed in all places where it is applicable (e.g. psychosocial care
and support needs to figure under health, education, child protection and other interventions).
Needs
Family/ sanitary kits and
other immediate needs
Education
Child protection
Water and Sanitation
Public Health
Food Assistance and
Nutrition
(specify food distribution,
cash programming,
livelihood)
Other
(such as temporary/
permanent shelter )
Place
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u/31/ July/2012
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