Seven weeks ago and contrary to predictions, a few hours before making the first of nine landfalls, Tropical Storm Odette intensified into the strongest dimension measurable, a Category 5 Super Typhoon.
Though less brutal in the taking of lives, the misery and suffering brought about by Odette’s rampage was much more extensive than that of Yolanda / Typhoon Haiyan, bringing torrential rains, floods, violent winds, landslides, and storm surges to the provinces of Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands in Mindanao, to five provinces of the Visayas, and to the island of Palawan in Luzon before it exited the Philippine area of responsibility.
Typhoon Odette became the strongest storm to ever hit Mindanao in the past 10 years and the 3rd strongest storm to ever be recorded in the Northern Hemisphere. An estimated 16 million people in six of 17 regions were affected, a vast majority of them living below the poverty line, leaving about 2.4 million of the most vulnerable people in need of assistance.
As early as December 11, 2021 and a week before destruction hit, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Senator Dick Gordon, had been monitoring and preparing for the situation from afar and organizing routes for evacuation. Consequently, on December 17, 2021, after assessing the situation and just one day after Odette struck the country, immediate measures were taken and the first humanitarian caravan was deployed to Bohol and Surigao del Norte, areas that bore the brunt of the storm, providing an urgently needed response to the families there impacted by the typhoon.
“We wanted to show our countrymen that the Red Cross is always ready and the first to help them, most especially in times of calamities and disasters. We wanted them to feel they are not alone, that we can supply them with food and water, both safe to drink and for hygienic needs. To provide them with on-the-spot shelters to temporarily replace destroyed homes. We will always try to find the best ways to ease the hardship of the displaced and motivate them so that they can recover from the shock of losing everything and in so doing, eventually, get back on their feet again,” Gordon said.
The Red Cross provided many areas with food, potable water, temporary shelter and repair kits, first aid and medical supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities as well as psychosocial support services. Cash assistance and grants have also been endowed so as to allow purchases at local markets.
Initially on its own and later in coordination with national and local authorities, PRC personnel from numerous regional chapters mounted search, rescue, emergency relief and road clearing operations as soon as weather conditions allowed. Due to their rapid reaction teams, PRC was able to undertake prompt assessments confirming widespread devastation and tender their wide range of diverse solutions. PRC also coordinated with the municipal authorities to dispense relief and do an assessment of beneficiaries.
As of this date, various Philippine Red Cross chapters accomplished the following in their respective provinces:
MPCGrants (Cash) to 1,217 families
Hot Meals served to 114,463 individuals
Standard food items given to 10,377 families
Non-Standard food items for 762 families
Bread to 865 families
Rice amounting to 180 sacks
Ready to Eat Meals provided for 7,117 families
Bottled Water in 647 cases
Water Distribution: 8,286,400 liters
Hygiene Promotion for 180,158 individuals
Hygiene Kits to 3,457 families
Facemasks for 8,719 individuals
Hand Sanitizers – 253 pieces
Health/Medical Consultation for 579 individuals
Patients Served: 17
Bottles of IV Fluids – 470
Blood for all types – 460 bags
Family size Tents – 80
Psychosocial support: 9,871 individuals
Child Friendly activities: 6,918 individuals
Welfare Desk: 27 served
RFL/Tracing: 61 individuals
Toys: 86 children
BP monitoring for 3,486 individuals
First Aid Management given to 152 individuals
Transported – 53 individuals
First Aid Stations – 45
Volunteer Orientation to 1,938 individuals
Retrieved of 3 individuals
Assisted 10 individuals
Clearing of debris via payloaders – 4,564 cubic meters
Corrugated roofing materials for 198 families
Shelter Tool Kits given to 1,502 families
Kitchen Sets for 1,396 families
Sleeping Kits given to 4,586 families
Jerry Cans – 4,586 families
Tarpaulins – 4,319 families
Mattresses given to 1,491 families
Bed sheets for 706 families
Blankets to 2,311 families
Pillows to 19 families
Mosquito Nets for 1,368 families
Clothing given to 251 individuals
Body Bags – 64 pcs
Blood: 460 bags
The Philippine Red Cross is still appealing for donations from both local and international communities as the humanitarian operations in the areas devastated by Odette are still ongoing. The PRC will continue to alleviate human suffering and uplift the dignity of the people as it provides hope, relief, and rehabilitation while saving lives.
