Weather warnings continue for flood ravaged Philippines

Last Updated: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:52:00 +1000

Authorities in the Philippines are warning of more extreme weather, with a low pressure system developing off the country's east coast.

The death toll from the weekend's tropical storm has been raised to 246, with more than 600,000 people forced from their homes.

The floods are being described as the worst in four decades, and authorities now fear an outbreak of disease as temporary shelters become increasingly crowded.

The United Nations Children's Fund representative in Manila, Vanessa Tobin, says the number of people affected is changing rapidly.

"It's about 86,000 families we estimate that are affected at the present time and about 23,000 that were evacuated into the 200 odd evacuation centres," she said.

"Obviously these numbers are changing and they're changing rapidly and this is increasing the needs at the present time."

Les Barlas, from the National Disaster Coordinating Council, says Tuesday's sharp increase in the death toll came after more than 90 deaths were recorded in Manila.

Dozens of people are listed as missing and hundreds of thousands are seeking shelter following the flooding caused by tropical storm Ketsana.

Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro says the government is concentrating on the massive relief operation.

"We're trying to push basic needs to the people affected as efficiently as we can - food, water, clothing, and medicine," he said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has called the typhoon "an extreme event that has strained our response capabilities to the limit."

"But it is not breaking us," she said in a statement on Monday, after opening the presidential palace for relief efforts.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime typhoon."

International aid

With the government struggling to cope with flood relief efforts, the United Nations' World Food Programme said it would supply emergency rations to 180,000 people in the worst-affected areas.

"WFP is working with authorities and mobilising assistance to help thousands of Filipinos whose lives have been devastated after Saturday's deadly tropical storm," said programme executive director Josette Sheeran.

Aid organisation Oxfam Australia is pulling some of its teams off long term work to help flood victims in the Philippines.

The organisation is redirecting its teams that are already in the country, one team from Bangkok and flying in experts from overseas.

Oxfam Australia's humanitarian co-ordinator in the Philippines, Umair Hassan, says deciding will reassess if even more help is needed in coming days.

"We are arranging boats to get into the area. We would know today that if we had boats available," he said.

"I think we would go into these areas to distribute along with doing assessment. But I think by tomorrow, people will have a much better idea what is the full extent in all areas."

Meanwhile, Australia is to provide up to $AU1 million dollars in aid to the Philippines to help in the typhoon disaster zone.

The government has also pledged further assistance if requested by the Philippine government.

The storm is now likely to make landfall in central Vietnam later on Tuesday, where authorities have ordered the evacuation of at least 170,000 people.

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