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Flood Update from Bahay Tuluyan5 October 2009The recent floods in the Philippines caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana have affected close to 3 million people, including up to 80% of Metro Manila which experienced its worst flooding in more than 40 years. Manila received a month’s rainfall in 9 hours and there have been at least 246 deaths. All of the children and staff of Bahay Tuluyan are safe. We are extremely grateful that none of our centers were flooded, particularly our new center in Manila. We moved from our Sta Mesa office just 2 months before the flood. That center was flooded to the ceiling and is very badly damaged and basically inhabitable. Our neighbours there have been very badly affected. Although the roads around our new temporary office were flooded, the building stayed dry - we are so grateful for everyone who has contributed to our 'A Home of Our Own' project that allowed us to buy this new piece of land! Unfortunately our jeepney was at Sta Mesa for repairs and was completely submerged in the flood. We are trying to repair it but not sure how much damage has been done. Many of our staff suffered flood damage in their houses. In Laguna, we are located near a very big inland lake. This has risen dramatically and is not yet receding. Poor waste management and over-development has exacerbated the problem. Several of our staff members' houses are still under water and could remain so for at least a month. The water there is still rising. They have moved out and are staying with friends or renting temporarily. Many people are still in schools, chapels and halls set up as makeshift evacuation centers. In our immediate area in Laguna there are still hundreds of families out of their homes. Being out of their homes also means that their livelihoods are affected and disease, particularly waterborne disease, is a major issue. Immediately after the floods Bahay Tuluyan provided 200 relief packages to families in one of our street areas in Manila that were badly affected. We also provided a hot meal and clean water to children in that area and our other Mobile Unit areas. On Thursday our Mobile Unit team visited one of the evacuation centers to provide some activities for the children to give them a bit of a break and a chance to talk about their experiences. We are working with our local NGO partners and UNICEF to try and conduct registration of separated and unaccompanied children. This week we hope to extend our support to several evacuation centers in our immediate areas. We also plan to give some more relief packages to meet families' basic needs and to assist them as they start to return home. Below are some photos of our relief activities.
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