Tags: Typhoons and Natural Disasters
By Nikka Garriga
CALUMPIT, BULACAN – Following the deluge that struck the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) sent emergency and hygiene supplies to the affected families in an effort to contain the possible outbreak of diseases.
Some 3,000 hygiene kits and another 3,000 water kits were delivered through coordination with the local government units and the Central Luzon office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Each water kit consisted of pails, water containers, and water purification tablets; while a hygiene kit had water jugs, nail cutters, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary napkins and malongs.
UNICEF Philippines Country Representative Vanessa Tobin visited the area to have a closer look of the situation as well as the state of the children and families on the ground.
“I’m impressed by the effective organization of many local government workers alongside NGOs and private sector. Supplies are getting through but we need to be vigilant to monitor childhood diseases as well as getting schools reopened and getting children back to learning,” she said.
Besides leptospirosis and the AH1N1 flu, the Department of Health (DoH) have also been closely monitoring acute water diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery and dengue particularly in crowded evacuation areas.
There is also a need to have boats collect floating garbage and to provide portable toilets and medical supplies to ensure clean and sanitized temporary shelters.
“Large areas of stagnant water are a danger in many ways: risks of dengue, risks of diarrhea and other infectious diseases are a big threat to young children,” Tobin said.
Several towns in both provinces were submerged in flood that went past house roofs after dams in Central Luzon opened gates and released water in anticipation for the onslaught of Typhoons Quiel and Pedring.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), four municipalities in Bulacan―namely Calumpit, Hagonoy, Pulilan and Paombong―are still flooded though waters have been gradually subsiding.
(Photo courtesy of UNICEF)
Related stories:
‘Pedring’ damage to Bulacan agriculture worse than ‘Ondoy’
UNICEF sends rescue teams to Isabela after Typhoon Juan
UN to assist flood prone municipalities in Cagayan
LGUs urged to conduct clean-up activities to fight dengue spread
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