CATBALOGAN, Philippines (UPDATED) – Samar is in sore need of more food and shelter assistance after Typhoon Ruby (international name: Hagupit) battered the province over the weekend.

As of 10 am Monday, December 8, authorities reported 31,137 families or 115,685 persons in 339 evacuation centers all over the province, but many of them have since reportedly gone home.

Three casualties were also reported as of Monday, but not all of them were typhoon-related.

Governor Sharee Ann Tan told Rappler that the youngest of the 3 was a 4-month-old girl who died when a coconut tree fell over her family’s house in Calbayog City.

An 85-year-old in Basey town died of hypothermia, while the 3rd casualty, a 4-year-old child in Marabut, died of sickness that had reportedly been ailing her even before Ruby.

Tan said rapid assessment teams are still verifying other reports of casualties in the province.

Rice, canned goods, noodles needed

The provincial government has so far released 5,000 sacks of rice to affected families. It is trying to get hold of 1,000 more sacks from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“We need more rice, canned goods, and noodles. Once we get them, we will repack then dispatch,” said Tan.

(Those who want to help in or donate to typhoon relief efforts can check this out: #ReliefPH for #RubyPH: Filipinos helping Filipinos.)

“We are okay. With God’s mercy we are able to get by. We are given rice, Maggi [noodles], and sardines but we are okay. We might be back home later in the afternoon,” said 43-year-old evacuee Marisa Señor.

“We haven’t gone home because, we have nowhere to sleep in our house,” said Señor, a Catbalogan resident who is now at the San Bartolome convent evacuation center.

She and her 3 kids still cannot return to their house by the sea after it was damaged by storm surge.  

Prioritizing isolated islands

Catbalogan Mayor Stephany Uy Tan said her priority is to send relief goods to her town’s 11 island villages.

“We distributed to them first because they are isolated areas geographically, and they experienced the most damage. We dispatched today and the rapid assessment team have left,” she told Rappler. 

Initial reports say that 50% to 70% of houses in the island villages were totally damaged.

Ruby also set back the livelihood of the residents in those villages – mostly fishermen.

A major fishing outfit which provides employment in many of the islands lost 4 of its 5 fishing vessels, each costing millions of pesos, said Tan. There’s no telling when those boats will be back in operation and when employed fishermen will be back to earning income for their families. 

“So my problem is, relief for how many days? Because even if they want to recover, they don’t have boats, they don’t have an income,” said the mayor.

Around 5,000 evacuees in the island villages have been given food good for two days. It’s taking all of local government funds to meet the needs of affected but Uy-Tan said worst things could happen.

“I’d rather feed a million people than have one casualty,” the mayor said.

Red Cross help

In Davao City, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had mobilized a convoy of 26 trucks to send food supply to residents affected by the disaster in Samar.

Albert Madrazo, communications officer of ICRC, said the trucks left
Davao City on Sunday morning, December 7, and would immediately try to reach
affected villages once the port in Surigao City is cleared to resume its operations.

The 26 trucks are carrying food rations good for 25,000 people and water supply equipment that is capable of providing clean and potable water for 5,000.

A van carrying medical supplies for health facilities in the affected towns is also part of the convoy, Madrazo said. – with a report from Karlos Manlupig/Rappler.com