EUROPEAN COMMISSION
PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 5 March 2013
Typhoon Bopha: EU donates €7 million to Philippines
disaster
The European Union is increasing its emergency aid to the victims of Typhoon Bopha by
€7 million, bringing the total humanitarian funding to €10 million since the region was
struck by its force in December.
The money will be used to fund repairs to houses damaged by the typhoon, provide food
assistance, help address high levels of malnutrition especially among children and support
the improvement of basic health services in the affected provinces.
"The typhoon that struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao in early December
caused some of the worst damage since typhoon Ketsana in 2009" said the EU’s
Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response,
Kristalina Georgieva. "Three months later, hundreds of thousands of survivors still face
extremely difficult humanitarian conditions, which require an increase in support from the
EU and other partners to address these urgent needs."
Experts from the European Commission's humanitarian aid service ECHO visited the
typhoon zone last month. They discovered critical gaps in the relief effort, especially in the
areas of shelter, nutrition, basic health care and income support.
Following Typhoon Bopha's trail of destruction in early December, the region has been
struck twice by strong storms. These caused further landslides and floods, forcing more
people to abandon their homes.
Background
Typhoon Bopha, known locally as “Pablo”, made landfall on the southern Philippine island
of Mindanao on 4 December 2012. The storm affected the lives of more than 6 million
people. This was the second major storm to hit Mindanao in as many years, after Typhoon
Washi in December 2011 which killed over 1,500 people in northern Mindanao.
By the time the storm dissipated on 9 December more than a thousand people were
reported killed and over 850 reported missing. According to the UN some 250,000 homes,
public buildings and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Additionally thousands of
acres of agricultural land have been devastated including large coconut and banana
plantations, leaving hundreds of thousands without food or income.
Following the deployment of a team of the Commission's humanitarian experts on 7
December 2012 ECHO provided €3 million to cover the immediate needs of 165,000
vulnerable people.
IP/13/186
For more information
The European Commission's humanitarian response in the Philippines:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/aid/asia/philippines_en.htm
Commissioner Georgieva's website:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/georgieva/index_en.htm
The European Commission's humanitarian aid and civil protection:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
Contacts :
Irina Novakova (+32 2 295 75 17)
David Sharrock (+32 2 296 89 09)
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