Tropical storm Washi hits Philippines
22 December 2011 - The southern Philippines experienced a devastating tropical storm from 16 to 18 December 2011 affecting Mindanao Region with strong winds, massive flash flood and landslides. As of 22 December, the total population affected by Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong) was 65 067 families (348 749 persons) in 319 barangays (villages) across eight cities and 31 municipalities in 13 provinces of seven regions. Some 10 039 families (44 213 persons) sought refuge in 60 evacuation centres which are mostly located in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City. The death toll has risen to 976 while 46 persons remain missing.
[Situation reports on Tropical Storm Washi]
WHO's response to ongoing disasters
19 October 2011 – Throughout 2011, the Western Pacific has been affected by a string of disasters. Cambodia, the Philippines and Viet Nam are all currently in the midst of flooding that has left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
In some areas, the floodwaters have persisted since mid-August, displacing communities and destroying infrastructure and hectares of crops. In late September and early October, the two typhoons, Nesat and Nalgae, passed through the Philippines, China, and Viet Nam, worsening the flooding and leaving further destruction in the affected communities.
While some countries are struggling to cope as they are inundated with water, the islands in the Pacific are left with barely enough water. Tuvalu and Tokelau are the Pacific islands that have recently declared States of Emergency due to drought, on 28 September 2011 and 3 October 2011, respectively. Samoa and the Cook Islands are feeling the threat of this year's prolonged dry season as well, with water rationing in place for the entire population of the two countries.
The health effects of both extreme weather conditions include high risks of waterborne, foodborne, and vectorborne diseases and malnutrition.
The World Health Organization, through its Regional Office in the Western Pacific and its individual country offices, is currently assisting these affected nations. As the lead organization in the health cluster, WHO has been continuously monitoring and assessing the health situations to provide technical support and coordination wherever needed. WHO has also distributed emergency supplies as warranted by the severity of these events.
The recovery and steps forward, for many countries in the Western Pacific, including Japan and New Zealand, which were devastated by disasters earlier this year, will be ongoing and long-term support will be essential.
WHO conducts training on emergency exercises and drills for Viet Nam hospitals
26 August 2011 –The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, in coordination with the Hanoi School of Public Health, conducted the first Training Course on Hospital and Health Facility Emergency Exercises on 22-26 August 2011 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. There were 22 participants made up of emergency department heads, physicians and planning directors from eight government hospitals in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh, Hue and Can Tho. This is part of the Western Pacific Region’s ongoing Hospitals Safe From Disasters campaign, a project supported through the Disaster Preparedness programme of the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (DIPECHO).
[more]
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
6 July 2011 –A 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred on
11 March in Japan at 05:46:23 GMT, hitting the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan. The worst affected area is the east coast of Tohoku region. Tsunamis have caused devastation in the coastal areas of Tohoku and southern Hokkaido. Based on official Japanese government figures (16 June), 15 534 people are confirmed dead, 5364 injured and 7092 missing. A total of 112 405 persons remain displaced; however, less than 1/3 remain in evacuation centres. WPRO has issued the final situation report for the event.
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Lao PDR Floods
4 July 2011 – On 24 June 2011, typhoon Haima entered Lao PDR and caused persistent heavy rains and strong winds at a speed of 10 km/hour in the northern and central provinces. Flooding occurred on the morning of 26 June, affecting the four provinces of Xayabury, Vientiane, Xiengkhouang and Borikhamxay.
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Philippines Floods Mindanao
25 June 2011 – Weeks of incessant rains brought about by weather systems affecting Mindanao and the obstruction of the Rio Grande de Mindanao by very large swaths of water hyancinths have resulted in flooding in Cotabato City, the provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat in Region 12, and the province of Maguindanao in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ARMM.
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Philippines Typhoon Meari
25 June 2011 – The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that Tropical Storm Meari (local name Falcon) caused more rainfall in the past two days. It gained more strength as it moved away from the country. TS Meari had maximum sustained winds of 105 kph.
[more]
EHA reviews Safe Hospitals training activities
14 June 2011 – The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, in partnership with the University of the Philippines Open University, conducted a technical review of the capacity enhancement activities on safe hospitals on 7-8 June 2011 in Manila. Training partners, consultants and implementers for the two phases of the Hospitals Safe from Disasters Project participated in the review.
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WHO highlights health in the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
03 June 2011 – The Third Session of the Global Platform, organized by UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the World Bank, was convened on 9-13 May 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 2 600 delegates composed of disaster risk reduction (DRR) experts, policy makers and practitioners, from government, international organizations, NGOs, academia and the private sector met to assess and share information as well as set new directions for the DRR imperative.
[more]
Joint Forum on Health Security and Emergency Management
The WHO Kobe Center, together with the Centre for Infectious Diseases of the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, held the Joint Forum on Health Security and Emergency Management (Infectious Disease Control) on 25 May 2011 at the Kobe University. Topics covered were: responding to health emergencies in the Western Pacific and WHO risk management, particularly in the area of infectious diseases control.
For more details, click on the links below:
English
Japanese
WHO partners with DOH in saving lives through disaster preparedness
3 May 2011 – The Philippines, known for its exposure to multiple hazards, is now reviewing its preparedness level especially for earthquakes. As findings of a study conducted in 2002 to 2004 on earthquake preparedness in Metro Manila were brought into public scrutiny, agencies across different sectors, including the Department of Health (DOH) are revisiting plans to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to reduce the impact of an earthquake.
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