Itogon – Super Typhoon Mangkhut (known locally as Ompong), slammed into the Philippines on 15 September, leaving fields of destroyed crops, landslides and damaged homes in its wake. While an estimated 364,823 families in 30 provinces across Luzon were affected, the government’s preparedness plan and pre-emptive evacuation of thousands of families kept the loss of life to a minimum, according to the UN Migration Agency (IOM).

Widespread destruction included a number of fatal landslides across the mountainous regions of Northern Luzon. In Itogon, Benguet province, 35 people were confirmed dead and 68 are still missing. Many in the community were left in a state of shock.

Said one survivor: “We are lucky to be alive, but without knowing if we can ever return back home, or if we can generate an income moving forward, what is next for us? We have lived here since 1997, so this community and village is our home. But after this typhoon, we do not know what is next.” 

In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, IOM deployed its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) programme in Regions I, II, III and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR.) The DTM collects information on the location and needs of displaced people in the most affected areas to inform the humanitarian response.

Preliminary DTM assessments showed 1,093 individuals (279 households) displaced in 19 evacuation centres in Macabebe, San Simon and Apalit municipalities in Pampanga province in Region III.

In Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Benguet provinces (Region I, Region II, CAR), IOM assessed a total of 48 evacuation centers out of which 30 were already closed. The 11 sites still open were all located in Benguet, where people could not yet return home, mainly due to flooding and landslides.

“Thanks to our donors USAID-OFDA and ECHO, and our close relationship with the government, IOM managed to quickly deploy teams to identify the most vulnerable communities in need” said IOM Philippines Chief of Mission Kristin Dadey. “Moving forward, we will continue to support the government, focusing on key interventions in shelter, camp coordination and camp management, psychosocial interventions and early recovery efforts.”      

For further information please contact Kristin Dadey at IOM Philippines. Email: kdadey@iom.int, Tel. +63 917 803 5009.