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Minister Colm Brophy announces €250,000 in response to Typhoon Rai in the Philippines

Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy T.D. today announced €250,000 in Irish Aid humanitarian assistance to those affected by Typhoon Rai (Odette) in the Philippines.

Minister Brophy said:

“The situation in the Philippines after last week’s super typhoon is dire. Nearly two million people have been affected, with over 600,000 displaced from their homes. My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods.

As expression of Irish solidarity with the people of the Philippines, today I approved Irish Aid funding of €250,000 for UN World Food Programme work assisting those most impacted by the super typhoon. This will help the immediate response to the needs of the most vulnerable individuals and communities in the difficult days and weeks ahead.

Ireland’s Ambassador at our newly established Embassy in Manila is on the ground, monitoring the evolving situation.’’

The funding will support the UN World Food Programme to its provision of critical, life-saving humanitarian assistance to those affected by the Typhoon Rai. WFP is providing logistical, food assistance, and communications support as part of the Philippine government’s emergency response, and has appealed for urgent funding to meet critical gaps.

 

ENDS

Press Office

21 December 2021

Notes for Editors:

  • At least 375 people have been killed by a powerful typhoon which ravaged the Philippines on Thursday 16 December. As information continues to emerge about the full impact of the storm, the death toll can be expected to continue to rise in the coming days.
  • An estimated 1.8 million people have been affected by the cyclone across nine regions of the central/southern Philippines, with over 600,000 persons displaced. The storm has caused extensive destruction, including to homes from landslides and flooding, and left many areas without access to electricity, clean water, and other essential services. Transport and telecommunications infrastructure have been severely impacted by the typhoon, something which has hindered the ability of responders to fully assess and meet needs in some areas.
  • Ireland deployed one officer from the Irish Aid Rapid Response Corps in November to work as a Cash Based Transfers and Emergency Preparedness Officer with the World Fund Programme (WFP) in the Philippines.   A second officer is due to deploy with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in January as an Advisor for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).
  • Ireland’s Embassy in Manila opened in November, led by Ambassador William Carlos.

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