Super typhoon Haima (local name: Lawin) is on track to hit the Philippines on Wednesday evening up to Thursday morning, becoming the second storm to hit the country in a week.
About 2.78 million individuals are at risk in seven provinces within the 100-kilometre radius of the storm track, according to the flash update of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Communities in Northern Luzon are expected to bear the brunt of the super typhoon, including the valley provinces of Cagayan and Isabela and the mountainous areas of the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Many communities in the path of the storm are still reeling from the effects of typhoon Sarika (local name: Karen), which brought in massive rains over the weekend.
Over 5,000 people who were forced out of their homes last week due to typhoon Sarika will remain in evacuation centres, Philippine disaster risk reduction and management council officials said.
Oxfam staff and partners are monitoring the situation closely and are preparing to mobilise teams ready to conduct a needs assessment of affected areas.
Justin Morgan, Oxfam Country Director said: “We are on stand-by to assist the national government. We are closely coordinating with partners and the United Nations, as well as government agencies at the national level.”
Around 20 storms hit the Philippines each year. In 2013, the deadliest typhoon in recent history wreaked havoc in Eastern Visayas, killing over 6,300 people and displacing 4 million individuals.//
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Angela Casauay
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