Urgent Appeal for Support to the Victims of Typhoon Pepeng in Ilocos Region

 

It has been a month ago since Typhoon Pepeng (Parma) ravaged Northern Luzon Provinces but thousands of people has yet to recover from the effects of the typhoon after it claimed lives, injured many people and damaged properties and livelihood.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported some 712 barangays, 50, 000 families and over 200, 000 individuals in the Ilocos Region were affected during its landfall.

The Serve the People Brigade-Ilocos, which the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC) is a member, reported around 50-70% of agricultural products were damaged, almost 90% were not able to work during the event of the typhoon that resulted to food shortage. Many people also were unable to access health facilities, especially those in the interior areas in the Provinces of Ilocos Norte, Sur and La Union during the event of the typhoon as many roads were wrecked by the floods. Women and children also showed signs of trauma such as anxiety, loss of appetite and fatigue.

The Serve the People Brigade has already led series of relief missions in the provinces of the Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union; however, there are still a wide number of people especially those in the remote areas suffering from the effects of the typhoon. A second wave of relief and rehabilitation missions as well as Psychosocial Debriefing would be conducted from November up to December of this year.

Damages, Needs, Capacities Assessment at Cabugao, Ilocos Sur

The Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC)-Ilocos Outreach Program together with Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment and Development (ICRED) and Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) went to Brgy. Maradudon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur to conduct a Damage, Needs, and Capacities Assessment on the effects of Tropical Storm Pepeng (Parma) after initial relief operation held last October 23 in one of its barangays. Similar activity was also conducted in the provinces of La Union and Ilocos Norte in preparation for the relief, rehabilitation and psychosocial mission to be held this November 2009.

 

During the assessment, the team had a hard time reaching out to the people in the area because the river washed out the road on the way to communities. As of this writing, vehicles still cannot pass to the roads bound to Sitio Caset in Barangay Maradudon.

Several findings of the DNCA were:

1. Roads bound to Sitios were washed out by the river.
2. Agriculture, being the main source of livelihood of the people, was gravely affected by the typhoon. 75% of their total production was lost as their crops were washed out by the overflowing of the river.
3. Food was scarce as more than 70% of the people were unable to prepare enough supply of food during the event of the typhoon.
4. Residents were also unable to access the health facility because the roads were impassable.
5. Due to landslides, the water system in Sitio Caset, Brgy. Maradudon has been damaged. As of today, potable water is still inaccessible for the residents.
6. Some ten (10) residents showed signs of stress during the typhoon, while some one hundred (100) children manifested signs of trauma.

 

Barangay Maradudon is one of the areas affected by the typhoon last October 4-9, 2009. The residents are still appealing for support especially for rehabilitation.

According to one of the residents, it would take time for them to recover from the effects of the typhoon. Since almost 75% of their production has been lost, they expect that the crisis would worsen their conditions. Because the roads have been damaged, pupils will have to cross the rivers and pass through rough roads to reach their school as an aftermath of the overflowing of river. It has been a month ago, yet no concrete actions have been done except for the relief goods given by the local government.

CRC-Ilocos Outreach Program and the Serve the People Brigade appeals for your support to Brgy. Maradudon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur as well other towns in the Ilocos Region. The STP Brigade is geared at providing relief and rehabilitation services this November in this community to help them to be resilient as well as to rely on their own capacities to recover from the aftermath of the storm.

We appeal for your support, be it financial or materials like food, school supplies and clothes, for us to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need of relief and rehabilitation services.

 

For financial support, please deposit to:

Peso Account

Account name:  Children’s Rehabilitation Center

Bank name: Bank of the Philippine Island – Kamias/Anonas Branch         

Account number: SA 3323-2050-85

 

Dollar Account

Account name:  Children’s Rehabilitation Center

Bank name: Bank of the Philippine Island – Kamias/Anonas     Branch, Quezon City

Dollar account # 3324-0233-71

swift code: BOPIPHMM

 

Please notify us of your deposit for your official receipt.

 

Please get in touch with us:

Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC)-Ilocos Outreach Program

#4 Rizal Street, Brgy. 3, Bantay, Ilocos Sur

+63929-3485568 or crc.ilocos@gmail.com.

 

 

 

Photos taken during the ocular visit to Sitio Caset, Maradudon,

Cabugao, Ilocos Sur

 

road leading to the barangay is hardly passable 

 

 

 

a resident showing the team where the water level during the Typhoon Pepeng