Saturday, December 15, 2012

ASEAN mobilizes relief to aid typhoon-hit areas in Phl




Relief aids to victims of Pablotyphoon in the Philippines is being closely coordinated by disaster management authority of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), official said here today.

"We work closely with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) and other ASEAN countries to assist the relief work," AHA Center Executive Director Said Faisal said here, referring to the Philippines' disaster mitigation agency, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

AHA Centre team has deployed three generators to Boston, New Bataan, and Cagayan de Oro. The delivery of mobile storages and other relief items are also on the way.

Malaysia sent its first batch of aid including food, milk, and tents on Dec.7, while Indonesia handed over $1 million to the government of Philippines. Singapore deployed an emergency response team to support the emergency planning and preparation, Faisal said.   "We will do our best to facilitate the Government and the community in disaster-affected areas to receive what is needed through our ASEAN family," Said Faisal said.

ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Alicia dela Rosa Bala said that all of those measured showed that humanitarian assistance in ASEAN is now institutionalized. "ASEAN now responds as a group," Alicia said.  

According to the data issued by the AHA Center, over five million people have been affected by Typhoon Pablothat hit Mindanao regions in the Philippines since Dec. 3.

As of today, the regional disaster mitigation agency recorded 906 people killed, 2,660 injured and 932 others were still missing from the typhoon. A total of 5,516,181 persons were the affected regions with 60,823 houses totally damaged and 88,925 partially damaged.

The NDRRMC estimated the cost of damage from the typhoon to reach $367 million.

The agency now served a total of 59,764 persons in 55 evacuation centers.-The Philippine Star (December 14, 2012 11: 45PM)

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