Save the Children fears the spread of COVID19, as hundreds of thousands of children huddle in evacuation centers following the most powerful typhoon in the Philippines for seven years.
Typhoon Goni made landfall across Luzon island on Sunday local time, bringing catastrophic winds, storm surges and widespread floods. The extent of the damage in coastal areas is still unknown but feared to have had a high humanitarian impact.
CEO of Save the Children in the Philippines, Atty. Alberto Muyot said, “We call on the local government to urgently put in place proper health protocols to protect people sheltering in evacuation centers from life-threatening diseases including COVID-19. They must also ensure children and their families staying in evacuation centers are provided with hygiene essentials, nutritious food and clean water. The impact on the most vulnerable in Manila could be horrendous. We are especially concerned for 1.5 million families forced to live in dangerous conditions along railroad tracks, garbage dumps and riverbanks.”
The nation’s capital Manila, home to 13 million people, is bracing for the storm’s impact today. Save the Children has fears for more than nine million people living in the city.
As soon it is safe to do so, Save the Children will deploy aid workers to Luzon island’s worst affected parts. They will quickly distribute basic life-saving hygiene kits and emergency supplies.
