Flooding in Philippines take young lives
Torrential rains and flooding brought by Tropical Storm Washi, locally called Sendong, began on December 16, 2011.
The floods — the worst to hit the city in living memory — took the lives of over 1,250 people, many of them women and children.
In the storm's aftermath, many families, especially those who used to live near the city's riverbanks, have fled to relocation sites to find relief and shelter.
In response, UNICEF has distributed clean water and sanitation supplies in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City, the areas worst affected by the storm's devastating floods. Families received water kits containing pails, soaps and water purification tablets, and supplies for child nutrition, education and child protection are set to arrive in flood-affected areas in the coming days.
Double-punch for flooded Pakistan
Tens of thousands of communities in Sindh province in Pakistan suffered the impact of severe flooding for the second time in 12 months.
The latest monsoons have affected more than 5 million people - half of them children, who are always the most vulnerable in an emergency.
Homes, schools, crops and livlihoods have been destroyed. UNICEF is racing to meet the most urgent needs and protect the recovery programs ongoing from flooding in 2010, which prompted one of the largest emergency relief responses in history.
Here's what UNICEF is delivering for the children of Pakistan:
- Safe drinking water for an estimated 194,000 people each day
- water purification tablets to reduce the spread of water-borne disease
- health kits and basic medications for 500,000 people
- polio and measles vaccinations for children; tetanus vaccinations for women
- insecticide-treated bednets to protect against malaria
More flood relief news
January 11, 2012
Tens of thousands remain displaced in Philippines
The gymnasium and multi-purpose hall of Macasandig Village is normally a place of activity and entertainment. Today, it is crowded with people, but in place of laughter and applause, one finds ashen-faced mothers and children lying on mats beside uncollected piles of trash. Now one of the most crowded evacuation sites for families displaced by flooding, the center is being provided clean drinking water and sanitation supplies by UNICEF.
January 3, 2012
Protecting vulnerable, flood-affected children in the Philippines
In the chaos that follows natural disasters, many children end up separated from their parents and families. Some, like Janella, lose both parents. And when children are displaced by these events, they can be cut off from critical social support and schooling. To this end, UNICEF puts a high priority on keeping families together and reuniting children who have been separated from their parents, siblings or extended family.
December 22, 2011
UNICEF responds to extensive flood destruction in the Philippines
In a city devastated by floods and fatalities, the arrival of Christmas is the last thing on people’s minds. Tropical Storm Washi arrived on the southern island of Mindanao on 16 December, shortly before midnight, unleashing a month’s worth of rainfall in the span of only a few hours. Known locally as Sendong, the storm brought floods that gathered force with furious speed. Walls of muddy water blasted bridges and mangled vehicles, turning Iligan’s roads into mighty rivers.
