Relief efforts for Manila flood victims

SOS Children's Villages has been helping flood victims in the capital of the Philippines with food, clothes and other essential items since end the of September after the worst flooding for decades caused by a typhoon. SOS youths have delivered packets to about 1,000 affected children and adults so far. The entire city was in distress seeking relief so much that even the presidential palace opened its doors for people to stay. At one point of time 80% of the city went under and almost two million people were directly affected.

SOS Children's Villages Philippines offered support to the affected families in Muntinlupa City, where SOS Children's Village Manila is located. The staff of the national office together with children, mothers and staff of SOS Children's Village Manila packed and distributed food and essential items (rice, milk, biscuits, noodles, bread, blankets, soap, medicines etc.). The friends of SOS Children's Villages also contributed and pooled their resources. Plans are afoot to distribute packets to other temporary shelters and to organise further help for the victims e.g. with cleaning houses and roads of the affected localities.

Manila experienced the worst flooding in 42 years due to Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) with winds of up to 100km/h on 26 September which brought a rainfall level equvialent to an entire one-month average. The typhoon sent many residents in Rizal province, Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City and other nearby flooded areas in Luzon island to the roofs of their homes, as water swamped an estimated 80% of 'Metro' Manila. The government has declared a "state of calamity" in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces, including many that have not been flooded before. The government said it now believed 246 people had died after the storm, a figure that is expected to rise as mud is cleared from the worst affected areas. In Cambodia and Vietnam SOS Children's Village facilities are unaffected where typhoon Ketsana hit fatally and now is weakening over.