On the morning of September 25, 2022, the Philippines was once again battered by the super typhoon Noru (locally named Karding) which brough maximum sustained winds of 195km/h and gustiness of 240km/h. Noru has undergone an explosive intensification and reached super typhoon category in less than 24 hour, one of the fastest recorded in the Pacific basin. Bringing torrential rains, violent winds and raging floods, Noru made two landfalls in Burdeos, Quezon and Dingalan Aurora. The super typhoon swept over 27 provinces causing 43 cities and municipalities under state of calamity.

From the initial assessment reports and figures reported its a medium scale emergency but with the changing weather situation it can convert into a large-scale emergency soon. As of 5^th October, a total of 314,430 families or 1,139,172 persons living in 1,922 villages in seven regions were affected. Of which, 691 families or 3,166 persons were served inside 22 Evacuation Centers (ECs) and 8,784 families or 43,254 persons were served outside the ECs. In the last ten days the affected population has increased from 700,000 to more than a million according to the assessment conducted in the country. More than 46,000 people remain displaced, while, twelve (12) casualties, five (5) missing persons, and 67 injured were recorded. The latest situation report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) cited 43 cities and municipalities under state of calamity. The super typhoon left 58,843 houses damaged (51,351 partially damaged and 7,492 totally damaged), power interruptions, and other infrastructures such as schools and roads destroyed.

ACT Philippines Forum through the National Council of Churches in the Philippines will access ACT’s Rapid Response Fund to provide assistance in two affected regions.

ALERT Philippines Typhoon Noru 

Since the 22nd of September, hurricane Ian has been impacting Cuba, particularly the provinces of Pinar del Rios, Artemisa, Mayabeque, the Special Municipality Isla de la Juventud, and La Habana. The hurricane has been leveled as a Category 3 with sustained winds of 205km/h and has caused landfalls, floods, damages to the infrastructure, housing, electricity and telecommunications services, crops, and the disruption of the provision of critical public and social services.

The ACT Forum Cuba, through its members CIC and CCRD, is foreseeing providing humanitarian support to 400 households and 2,000 affected people in sectors such as food security, WASH, Health, NFI, protection, and Emergency Preparedness. To that end, the ACT Forum Cuba will be applying for an RRF of 150.000 USD.

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Since mid-September, Honduras is facing a heavy rainy season that has created havoc and damage due to the excess rainfall, affecting the population and families from the different departments of the country, leaving their households destroyed, with no food, water, or refuge, and with their crops lost, unable to fulfill their basic needs. The Government of Honduras issued a national declaration of a state of emergency on the 24th of September due to the damages and losses caused by the heavy rainy season. At the moment, this emergency has been considered of medium scale. However, if the rain continues, it could aggravate the situation further. To date, 18 departments of the country have been affected. According to data provided by COPECO (Secretary of State in the Offices of Risk Management) and CODEM (Municipal Emergency Committee), 9 casualties and 51 wounded people have been reported, while 6,792 families have been confined. Overall, 14,320 families and 56,763 people have been affected. The ACT Forum Honduras, through its members CASM and OCDIH, is foreseeing applying for an RRF to provide joint humanitarian assistance to alleviate the humanitarian needs of the affected population in the sectors of Psychosocial support, WASH, Cash/Vouchers, Food Security/Nutrition, Household items, and Livelihoods.

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Located in the northeast of Uganda, Karamoja is one of the poorest regions in Uganda, with income poverty at 66% (having increased from 61% in 2017) and food poverty at 75% has increased from 70% in 2017 (UBOS: UNHS 2019/20).

This year, the Karamoja region has suffered widespread crop losses and harvest failure due to delayed rains resulting in hunger. The area is suffering a prolonged drought since 2020. The hunger situation is made worse by attacks from plagues of locusts and armyworms all of which have affected crop production in the region during the past 2 years.

ACT Uganda national forum member Church of Uganda (CoU) is proposing to provide food initially, then support affected communities to reduce Gender Based Violence and increase protection. In the medium to long term, CoU plans to support farmers in farming (conservation farming) and environment protection.

Uganda_Hunger crisis

In May 2022, rains started in the state of Assam and resulted in flooding in 27 districts of the state. Approximately 670,000 people were affected by the floods during this first wave. Continued rainfall due to monsoon season in the catchment areas of the main rivers of Assam (Brahmaputra, Barak and their tributaries) since the second week of June resulted in an increase in water levels in all the major rivers in the state and also landslides.

The flood situation remains to be grim on 4 July with the total death toll to 179. Local government stated a total of 17 embankments, 486 roads and 14 bridges were damaged. 1,618 villages were under water and 47,198.87 hectares of crop areas were damaged across Assam. Damage to infrastructure is feared to cause long-term impacts, such as disruptions to supplies of clean water, wastewater treatment, electricity, transport, communication, education and health care.

ACT India Forum members plan to respond to the needs of the affected people through the Rapid Response Fund.

ACT Alert India Assam Floods 

An earthquake of 5.9 magnitude have struck southeastern Afghanistan on June 22, 2022, leading to wide-scale destruction across already vulnerable districts in Paktika and Khost provinces.

The event is categorized as medium level emergency as it has badly impacted Barmal, Ziruk, Nikka and Giyan districts of Paktika province, and Spera and Shamal districts in Khost province. Provincial officials initially reported that nearly 1,000 people had been killed, while the UN OCHA has estimated that at least 770 people have been killed and 1,500 people have been wounded. Some 1,500 houses have been damaged in district Giyan only. It is estimated that at least 70% of the houses in the high impact areas have been damaged or destroyed, leaving families without shelter and sleeping outdoor due to damage to houses and fear of aftershocks. In addition to loss of life and devastating injury, the earthquake has resulted in the destruction of critical infrastructures, including health facilities, schools and water sources. It is estimated that a total of 361,634 people is in need of humanitarian assistance across 17 districts in Paktika, Khost and Paktya provinces.

The earthquake affected provinces were already under the crisis level and acute food insecurity. The lean season is underway at the moment when the food resources are already at the borderline of consumption. A rapid onset of the Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) has been reported across most of the earthquake affected areas. Immediate attention is required to this issue to curtail the spread of the outbreak.

Community World Service Asia plans to respond to the affected communities through Rapid Response Fund.

ACT Alert Afghanistan Earthquake

The situation in the Palestinian Territories can be best described as a protracted protection crisis. The humanitarian conditions continued to deteriorate in 2021 as hostilities, heightened tensions and violence exacerbated an already dire situation.

The Gaza Strip continues to face critical conditions. The entire population has endured for the last 15 years a blockade of land, air, and sea blockade. The already severe strain on the population of having to live through four conflicts in the last 14 years have had devastating consequences for mental health with many across the Gaza Strip struggling to cope with complex trauma.

According to a UN organization, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has experienced a disturbing increase in armed incursions in the past twelve months. These incursion into refugee camps, use of live ammunition against civilians and settler violence, while displacement and demolition remain constant threats.  

At the peak of the lockdown and economic restrictions, around 110,000 additional Palestinians entered poverty. The new poor were concentrated in rural areas of the West Bank and were more likely to be living in female-headed households. With 20% of previously employed main income earners losing their jobs, income fell in more than 60% of Palestinian households during the height of the pandemic.

DSPR and EJ YMCA plan to continue their response providing assistance to the Palestinians.

Alert Palestine Protracted Crisis