SINGAPORE, 19 October 2016 – FOLLOWING Typhoon Sarika that hit the Aurora province in the Philippines on 16 October 2016, the country braces for a second super typhoon. Typhoon Haima made landfall over the Cagayan province tonight just before midnight, hitting the area with torrential downpour and maximum sustained winds of up to 225 kilometres per hour (kph).
Mercy Relief, Singapore humanitarian non-governmental organisation (NGO), has been monitoring the situation closely with team member Carol Liew, Senior Manager, International Programmes, who is currently in the Philippines. With four years of experience managing disaster relief aid in the Philippines, Ms. Liew shares insights on the current situation.
“Typhoon Haima was forecasted to make landfall tonight but the exact location of landfall was unclear due to the unpredictability of the super typhoon. Widespread damage is expected to both urban and rural areas where the violent typhoon hits. This typhoon poses a threat to local food security as Northern Luzon is where most of the country’s rice is grown. Crop harvests are expected to be severely affected. We also foresee that delivering aid will be challenging because of the mountainous terrain and expected landslides will impede road access,” Ms. Liew explained.
Mercy Relief is in close coordination with local partners in the Philippines now in preparation for possible response should the need arise.
