ALLIANCE WRAPS ITS TYPHOON MANGKHUT EMERGENCY RESPONSE

By PATRICIA MUNGCAL

The NCCP-ACT Alliance emergency response has reached 6,975 families in 18 municipalities within 8 provinces and across five regions.

“Based on the results of our assessment, we opted to concentrate on food relief. We focused on areas that were not immediately reached by the government and those that did not have assistance from other organizations,” said Almond del Rosario, NCCP’s Emergency Response Officer.

Food packs were distributed to provide survivor families with food security for at least two weeks. The faith-based group, International Care Ministries, supported NCCP’s

“We ensure the quality of food relief to help alleviate hunger and to support the capacities of survivors to recover from the disaster,” said del Rosario.

The Council assisted isolated families affected by Typhoon Rosita in Natonin, Mt. Province. It also responded to the needs of the Dumagat, indigenous people in Rodriguez, Rizal that were affected by the monsoon rains that followed Typhoon Mangkhut.

Continued Support Towards Early Recovery

Issues of landlessness and inadequate government support to the agricultural sector have placed Filipino farmers among the poorest in the country.

The poorest farmers of Northern Luzon faced the brunt of the disaster inflicted by Typhoon Mangkhut, “at the time when the typhoon struck the Northern Luzon region, farmers in the Cagayan area were just a few weeks from harvest,” said del Rosario.

“The vulnerabilities that Filipino farmers experience are escalated in disaster situations. Some families scavenged for crops that were meant as feed for livestock for their consumption after Typhoon Mangkhut swept through their farms,” said del Rosario.

The NCCP continued to provide recovery support through agricultural assistance initiatives, including the provision of farm inputs, tools and equipment. The Council also supported the rehabilitation of community water systems and repair of shelters destroyed by the typhoon.

Churches In Solidarity

“Typhoon Mangkhut came when we were about to wrap up our emergency response to the flooding caused by monsoon rains in the southern parts of Luzon. But the strong partnership between the local churches and the affected communities helped made the seemingly huge tasks lighter. The accompaniment and active response of local churches inspired the community to organize themselves and move towards resilience,” said Edward Santos, NCCP's Humanitarian Program Manager.

The Council’s interventions in the impacted communities are in partnership with its member churches in the affected regions including, the Cagayan Valley Regional Ecumenical Assembly, Ilocos Regional Ecumenical Council, Regional Council in the Cordillera, Pangasinan and Central Luzon

6,975