Latest Situation

• On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc across much of the central Philippines, affecting over 14 million people. In total, 8,000 people were killed, and more than 4 million people were forced from their homes.

• Six months on, nearly 5.6 million people still require food assistance and support to prevent food insecurity and restore agricultural and fishing livelihoods (UN OCHA). 

• Currently, 40% of the disaster-affected households are living in makeshift shelter, which means that one in two people are not protected from storms and rain. The need for shelter is still urgent. Local authorities are trying to relocate 200,000 people away from the coast, to protect them from future storms.

• Close to six million workers lost their sources of income in the typhoon. Small stores were flattened, 30,000 boats were destroyed, millions of coconut trees were decimated and more than one million tonnes of crops lost.

• According to UN, of the US$788 million required for the Strategic Response Plan, only 56 percent has been received. Around 133,000 households have been helped to build back their homes. Support to assist an additional 380,000 households is now critical.

Oxfam’s Response

• Oxfam has now reached more than 730,000 people with relief in the first six months of the response. We are operating from four bases across Leyte, Eastern Samar and North Cebu.

• Our initial focus was on life saving assistance, such as clean water, toilets, hygiene kits, tarpaulins and cash to buy food and other essentials. We have:

- Helped almost 500,000 people with life-saving water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, which has helped to prevent outbreaks of disease
- Distributed more than 100,000 hygiene kits containing buckets, soap, clean underwear, mosquito nets and sleeping mats
- Provided 81,000 water kits, containing a jerry can, bucket and water treatment materials
- Built or repaired more than 7,300 families toilets and constructed washing blocks and handwashing stations

• Six months on from the disaster, we are focusing on ensuring that recovery work meets people’s needs. This includes finding alternative ways for families to earn an income and influencing government policy on rebuilding and resettlement projects. We have:

- Provided 213,000 people with either cash grants or cash in return for work such as clearing debris, draining ditches or removing rubbish
- Worked with communities clear land so farmers can replant crops and earn an income
- Got rice sees to 7,700 farmers, so families could earn a living and help prevent a serious rice shortage
- Helped fishing communities get back to sea and restart seaweed farms