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Philippines

Philippines: Tropical Storm Ketsana and Parma Situation Report No. 5

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This report was issued by OCHA New York based on inputs from the OCHA Regional Office for Asia Pacific (ROAP) and OCHA Philippines. It covers the period from 2 to 4 October 2009. Situation Reports are now issued every second day. The next report will be issued on 6 October.

For a full National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) report on the Government response, please visit www.ndcc.gov.ph

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

- Typhoon Parma (locally named Pepeng) made landfall in Cagayan Valley - Region III as a Category 3 Typhoon on 3 October. Typhoon Parma weakened to a Category 2 and is currently over far North Luzon, according to PAGASA.

- Initial data for Typhoon Parma indicates more than 68,589 people (14,342 families) were affected, with two confirmed deaths and 35,543 people (8,062 families) located in 188 evacuation centres, according to the Department for Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

- Tropical Storm Ketsana (locally named Ondoy) affected 3,232,234 people (668,864 families), leaving 288 dead and 42 missing. A total of 370,147 people are currently in 515 evacuation shelters. An estimated 4,404 houses were destroyed by the storm and floods and 6,033 houses were partially damaged, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).

- Food, water, sanitation and hygiene relief remain the highest priorities. Humanitarian partners have been requested to be prepared to expand their support to incorporate the Typhoon Parma affected areas, based on incoming assessments.

- Assessments of Typhoon Parma and Tropical Storm Ketsana are on-going. Organisations are requested to coordinate assessments through the NDCC.

- The Flash Appeal will be launched on Tuesday, 6 October 2009 in Geneva, and will be presented in Manila the following day. The appeal will also be addressed in an all member states briefing by the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) on natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region in New York that same day.

- A request for funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) was submitted by the Resident Coordinator (RC) to support projects presented in the appeal.

II. Situation Overview

On 3 October 2009, Typhoon Parma weakened to a Category 3 Typhoon as it made landfall in Cagayan Valley - Region III. Typhoon Parma weakened to a Category 2 as it moved slowly in a north-northwest direction. It was located 150 kilometres north-northwest of Laoag City with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the centre and gusts of up to 150 km per hour with stormy weather and strong winds and rain forecast for the far northern parts of North Luzon, at 1700hr on 4 October, according to the Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomic Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

The Government of the Republic of the Philippines led a pre-emptive evacuation of 45,486 people from the path of Typhoon Parma from 15 provinces in Regions I (Ilocandia), II (Cagayan Valley), III, IV-A, V (Bicolandia) and National Capital Region (NRC) from 1-3 October. The people were evacuated to hostfamilies and 117 evacuation centres.

As of 4 October, Typhoon Parma affected 68,589 people (14,342 families) with two confirmed deaths and 35,543 people (8,062 families) staying in 188 evacuation centres, according to the DSWD. Many roads are closed in sections due to water inundation and fallen trees or debris. The storm reportedly caused temporary power shortages. Initial reports indicate that rainfall caused water inundation of houses and floods in low-lying areas. The storm continues to move over far North Luzon and further information, including on the development of other storms in the region, is being monitored.

The Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the humanitarian partners continue to respond to the needs caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana (locally named Ondoy) that made landfall on 26 September 2009. Humanitarian partners are requested to be prepared to expand their support to incorporate the Typhoon Parma affected areas, based on incoming assessments. The affected regions for both storms include Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), Central Luzon (Region III), National Capital Region (NRC - Metro Manila), Calabarzan (Region IV-A) and Mimaropa (Region IV-B). The number of people affected by Tropical Storm Ketsana continues to rise as humanitarian agencies gain access to isolated areas.

The number of affected is 3,232,234 people (668,864 families), 488 dead and 42 people still missing. The number of flood-affected displaced is decreasing, with an estimated 370,147 people (74,258 families) in 515 evacuation centres.

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