In Mindanao, Philippines, Conditions in the Camps are Dire

A flooded neighborhood. Photo by Ryan Russell/CRS

Ryan Russell, CRS’ regional technical advisor for emergencies in the Asia Pacific region, wrote from Mindanao, Philippines, where he is working with staff and partners to carry out emergency relief for thousands of families who have been uprooted and devastated by Typhoon Frank:

In Mindanao, conditions in the camps are dire, with 12 to 15 families (up to 90 people) taking shelter in each classroom, and abysmal sanitation, sometimes none at all. While people are making their way home, there are still around 4,500 families whose homes are underwater, and it is not clear when they will be able to go back. It could be a few weeks or months since some major dikes and dams broke, and rivers have changed course.

For those going home, most have lost the crops they had just planted. Many were already having difficulties feeding their families and were dependent on government-subsized food, all brought on the last few months by a doubling in food prices, such as rice.

People are desperately in need of seed and tools if they are going to be able to feed their families down the road. Most took loans to plant what they just lost at an interest rate of 10 percent a month, and will still have to pay that back. A lot of the fields are covered in mud and sand, which will take weeks or months to repair before planting can occur.