MANILA, Dec. 6, 2014—Better early than sorry.
Not wanting to get caught off guard, the Catholic Church’s social action arm has taken pre-disaster preparedness measures by releasing an initial Php 2 million for the purchase of relief goods now pre-positioned in areas close to typhoon Ruby’s direct path.
“Considering the vast area to be affected, local funds may not suffice. We are, therefore, expecting bigger needs in the coming days as the typhoon has not yet made landfall,” NASSA/Caritas Philippines Humanitarian Unit Head Josephine Ignacio stressed.
The Church in the Philippines prepares for typhoon Ruby by pre-positioning relief goods and deploying volunteers to areas on typhoon Ruby's path. (Photo: NASSA) Emergency appeals
Through the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice, and Peace (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines body the said amount was sourced from “Alay Kapwa”, the local Church’s emergency funds, and other local and non-Caritas Internationalis funds.
The Alay Kapwa is the Church’s Lenten evangelization and program which aims to raise awareness and funds for calamities and major social concerns.
“As early as now, we are initiating a Solidarity Appeal to all 85 dioceses nationwide to raise funds in support to the provinces affected by typhoon Ruby. We are also not discounting the possible launch of another Caritas Internationalis Confederation Appeal in case a full swing emergency response is required,” Ignacio explained.
NASSA/Caritas Philippines had earlier launched Emergency Appeals 23 and 12 to support the emergency relief efforts, and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the areas severely hit by super typhoon Yolanda.
These emergency appeals were also the fastest responded to by 41 Caritas Internationalis members worldwide with budgets amounting to EUR 5.6 million for the relief phase and EUR 9.7 million for the rehabilitation phase.
Pre-disaster preparedness
Each province’s Diocesan Social Action Centers (DSACs) has already began implementing contingency plans since Wednesday, including close coordination meetings with all government and non-government organizations (NGOs).
Among the preparations made are the pre-positioning of relief goods and emergency kits, and the deployment of volunteers to vulnerable communities.
Camp management committees were also set up in the different provinces to continuously monitor and assess the situation in their respective areas.
Moreover, community organizers and other DSAC staff also helped spread information and evacuate families to safer grounds.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has identified at least 33 provinces across seven regions which may be affected by typhoon Ruby.
These are Eastern Samar, Leyte, Iloilo, Cebu, and Aklan—provinces previously devastated by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November last year.
The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) places the number of families to be affected at 5.36 million, or a total of 50.67 million individuals. (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCPNews)