Responding to the impact of Typhoon Kalmaegi (local name Tino) and a potential Super Typhoon Fung-wong (local name Uwan), which could hit the country by this weekend or early next week, Maria Rosario Felizco, Oxfam Philippines Executive Director said:
“Typhoon Kalmaegi carved a path of devastation, leaving a massive humanitarian emergency in its wake. The destruction has been immense, affecting millions of people and stretching the country's disaster response capacities to their limits.
“As the full picture is still emerging, the number of dead and affected is likely to rise sharply in the coming days. We know there’s been widespread damage to housing, infrastructure and agriculture, power lines are down, and numerous roads and bridges remain impassable, which is severely hampering relief efforts.
“While Oxfam and partners are starting to deliver aid to those in need, the crisis is far from over. The country, already reeling from consecutive disasters, is on high alert once again with a potential super typhoon brewing that could be even more deadly.
“These disasters hitting the Philippines are yet another example of vulnerable communities bearing the brunt of extreme weather exacerbated by the climate crisis - A crisis that has been fueled by the biggest polluters who must be held to account and pay for the damage they’ve caused.”
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