The Rehabilitation of the Yolanda-Devastated Land

On 8 November 2013 the country faced the most devastating typhoon the world has ever recorded at landfall. The eye of the storm made its first landfall in Guiuan, Easern Samar. With a one-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h, it easily surpassed the old record of 305 km/h of the Atlantic Hurricane Camille in 1969.

Super-typhoon Yolanda [international name: HAIYAN] devastated 171 municipalities, around 4,971 barangays (villages), covering an area of 25,000 square kilometers, and affecting 6.6 million Filipinos. Confirmed deaths ran at 6,308 while 1,061 people remained missing. 

REHABILITATION

On 2 December 2013, former Senator Panfilo Lacson accepted his appointment as the helmsman of the government effort to rehabilitate the areas devastated by supertyphoon Yolanda. The 2013 General Appropriations Act set aside P40.9 billion with Senate supplementation of P14.5 billion. And it will be his department that will manage this money to effect a complete rehabilitation of those places. 

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Australia - The Australian government committed on 25 March 2014 an additional aid of A$30 million (PHP403 million) plus A$20 million (PHP808 million) specifically to build classrooms. In November 2013, it provided A$40 million (PHP1.6 million) for emergency relief, logistical support and classroom rehabilitation.

Japan - The Japanese government provided additional US$3.5 million on 24 March 2014 through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP),  bringing its total donations to US$7.0 million. It also provided US$34.39 million to various international organizations directly involved in providing reliefs of food, shelter, early recovery, livelihood, water and sanitation, nutrition, health, education and coordination.

 

Sources

______: "Australia, Japan Intensifies Post-Yolanda Aid' 2014 March 25 InterAksyon.com