Bicol – Teams from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are assessing the conditions facing hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Typhoon Goni and preparing to deliver urgently needed supplies to survivors in remote islands hardest hit by the most powerful storm of 2020, as local residents prepare for a new storm later this week.

“The typhoon caused massive damage, powerlines are down, and the roofs have been blown off government evacuation centres,” said Conrad Navidad, head of IOM Philippines’ Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit.

“We’re hoping our staff will be able to travel to islands that were Ground Zero tomorrow to deliver supplies, including personal protection equipment (PPEs), and continue their assessments of the needs of the many people who have been displaced.”

Goni slammed into Luzon Island on Sunday packing sustained winds of 225km/h. Philippine government partners reported today that more than one-third of the 712,197 people affected live in Bicol Region, and further 95,484 are in Calabarzon. 

IOM is working to mobilize local-hired assessors to support the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on data collection for the Displacement Track Matrix to provide valuable information about the specific needs of displaced populations and facilitate better targeted assistance by government, UN and other partners.

Overshadowing the response is the presence of COVID-19. UNOCHA reports that there are some 425 active COVID-19 cases in Bicol Region. “In the current emergency it is extremely difficult for people who have been forced from their homes, who have seen their lives and businesses ruined, to follow the well-established and understood physical distancing and hygiene measures that are required,” said Navidad.

IOM is prioritizing the delivery of PPEs, including 200,000 face masks, 20,000 bottles of sanitizer, 2,000 face shields, 300 shelter grade tarpaulins and 500 modular tents to DSWD and the Philippine Coast Guard. 

Officials are also tracking the progress of a new storm over the Pacific Ocean, Atsani, which is expected to reach the Philippines this week.

For more information please contact Kristin Dadey at IOM Philippines, at Tel: +63 917 803 5009, Email: kdadey@iom.int or Itayi Viriri, at IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok) at Tel: +66 65 939 0934, Email: iviriri@iom.int