Chapels of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been used as evacuation centers and Mormon Helping Hands volunteers are packing food and hygiene kits for distribution to affected families.
People are being rescued from roofs of houses while many families finding shelter in evacuation centers are in immediate need of food and water. It was “Ondoy” relived.
As of today, August 9, 2012, close to two million people are affected by floods amidst torrential rains that swamped Manila and nearby provinces as reported by government’s Project Noah (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards).
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During 2009, typhoon Ondoy dumped 455 mm of rain in a 24 hour period, however, 341 mm fell in six hours, thus turning Manila and its neighboring provinces into a scene from the movie “Waterworld.” From the initial data provided by Project Noah, 472 mm of accumulated rainfall fell from 4:45 pm of August 6 to 3:00 pm of August 7 which is over a 22 hour period. This is double the amount of rainfall that fell during typhoon Katrina in the US.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Health, local government units and several non-government organizations (NGOs) provided P126 million worth of relief assistance as reported in the newspapers. The coast guard, military and police were deployed to conduct search and rescue operations and up to this time, some people are still trapped in their homes waiting for rescue.
In response to the disaster, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released relief funds to buy food, sleeping mats, blankets and hygiene kits to address the immediate needs of people affected by the incessant rains and floods. Another request for relief funds have recently been approved to help as many people as possible. Although grocery stores are open and essential items are for sale, many stores in the outlying provinces are closed and would depend on the city’s supply for food and other needed items.
Assessments have been done during the past two days conducted by ERC (Employment Resource Center) managers. Information gathered became the basis of the emergency response in the areas. In times of disasters, ERC Managers are immediately deputized as emergency response managers and focus on providing food and water to people in the community, especially in areas that have been identified as priority areas due to the extent of the damage and need. The Church has been working with partner NGOs in the delivery of goods and will continue to monitor and respond proactively to the disaster.