At least 375 dead in the Philippines: the humanitarian emergency after the passage of Typhoon Rai

Images of strong winds, torrential rains, sweeping away roofs, electricity poles, houses… The archipelago of the Philippines was hit, Thursday and Friday, by a powerful typhoon, a natural phenomenon frequent in this part of the Indian Ocean but particularly violent at the end of the year. According to a provisional report announced on Monday by the national police, at least 375 people are dead and 56 are missing. More than 500 injured were also counted and nearly 380,000 people had to flee their homes and coastal areas, ravaged after the cyclone.

The aid present on the spot is redoubling its efforts to come to the aid of populations deprived of water, food and electricity. “A lot of people are already living in poverty and they are still at risk of impoverishment, explained to RFI the president of the Red Cross in the Philippines, Richard Gordon. If their houses are totally destroyed, we will have to find something to house them and we will surely need international aid to rebuild. ”

Call for donations

With gusts of wind sometimes reaching 200 km / h, the typhoon, which crossed the center and the south of the country, tore up most of the electrical and communications installations. In the hardest hit areas, thousands of military, police, coast guard and firefighters have been deployed. The search for the missing continues, as army ships have been dispatched to bring water, food and medicine. Roads blocked by trees and electricity poles are also cleared by heavy machinery.

“The road will be long and difficult for people to be able to rebuild and take control of their lives”, said Alberto Bocanegra, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Philippines. An appeal for donations has already been launched internationally, in order to finance the reconstruction of destroyed areas. The islands of Siargao, Dinagat and Mindanao have thus suffered significant destruction. Aerial images released by the military also show major damage in the town of General Luna, on the island of Siargao, popular with holidaymakers as the holiday season approaches.

“We are all safe”

Without internet and telephones, survivors sent letters to relatives saying they were alive. Photos of these letters were posted on Monday, on the Facebook page of the Governor of the Dinagat Islands, Arlene Bag-ao, who had access to the internet during a trip to the neighboring island of Mindanao, where she was looking for help for its citizens. “Our houses have lost their roofs but we have not lost hope! Please tell all our families ”, thus writes Aimee Antonio-Jimeno, in a letter dated December 19 and addressed to his “Very dear sister”.

On Facebook, the most popular social network in the Philippines, the “letters from the Dinagat Islands” were widely shared. “Please stop worrying about me. I’m fine”, writes a woman, adding: “At least twelve dead, drinking water is a problem.” “We are all safe, also writes Jane Mayola. Merry Christmas and I hope to see you all soon. We love you !” The Dinagat Islands were “Completely shaved” by the typhoon, provincial communications officer Jeff Crisostomo reported on television.

Global warming

The first statements from local authorities bear witness to the violence of the cyclone. “I saw how Typhoon Odette [nom local de Rai] tore the provincial capital to pieces, piece by piece, declared Mr. Crisostomo, press officer for the province of Dinagat. Tables as heavy as a man flew away under the violence of the storm. ” In the town of Surigao, at the northern end of the island of Mindanao, shards of glass from shattered windows, corrugated roofing sheets, power lines and other debris were strewn in the streets. Torrential rains also destroyed wooden structures and uprooted trees.

The Philippines, one of the countries most exposed to the effects of climate change, is affected by twenty tropical storms every year. Scientists have long warned that typhoons get stronger and stronger as global warming accelerates. The one that hit the archipelago Thursday and Friday was particularly strong, and late, with most tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean forming between July and October.