Country information
More about the disaster
Storm surge
Recent Appeals
Documents
Other Resources
Connect with us
Flickr
YouTube
RSS
Philippines Typhoon Haiyan
Around 11.8 million people are affected following the passage of super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
Typhoon Haiyan hit the Samar Island of the Philippines early in the morning of Friday, 8 November. The winds registered at over 300 km per hour – the strongest in history for the landfall of a cyclone.
The devastation witnessed in nine regions of the country is reminiscent of the 2005 tsunami, with the added factor that this time, damages extended to inland areas as well as the coast.
Extensive damage to agriculture and rural livelihoods is reported. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of planted crops are lost, mainly rice – the main staple food in the Philippines. Infrastructure and production equipment such as storage, irrigation systems, boats and roads suffered extensive damage.
Losses of grain reserves and livestock are not yet precisely known but likely to be substantial. The storm surge has wiped out fishing communities and destroyed boats and gear – leaving many fishers with no means of livelihood.
According to preliminary estimates, more than 1 million farmers and fishers need urgent assistance to restore their livelihoods. FAO seeks to rapidly provide rice seed to affected farmers so they can plant before season’s end, and thereby secure much-needed food and income.
FAO has rapidly mobilized its resources to kick-start response to this disaster. The FAO Representation in the Philippines is being reinforced with additional human resources from the Regional Office in Bangkok, as well as from other countries in the region and headquarters.
Related Topics
