Up to 1M people need food aid in Philippines areas hit by typhoon

Jan 9 2013

"A month after Typhoon Bopha hit the southern Philippines, up to one million people need food assistance and thousands of others could be displaced for a second time, the United Nations says," AlertNet reports. The December 4 storm killed more than 1,000 people and more than 800 remain missing, the news service notes. "'Overall the need (for food assistance) is for about 800,000 to a million people across several regions,' said Dipayan Bhattacharyya, head of food security with the World Food Programme (WFP) in the Philippines," AlertNet writes, adding, "WFP has been distributing food since the immediate aftermath of the storm and recently started food-for-work activities such as cleaning drainage and clearing debris" (Win, 1/4). International Organization for Migration spokesperson Jumbe Omari Jumbe said the agency is distributing non-food aid in the most-affected regions, VOA News reports. "Jumbe said the lack of sufficient latrines and availability of clean water can cause diseases, such as upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea and skin infections," the news agency writes, adding, "Of greatest concern, he said, are people living in 13 sites, with little to no health services" (Schlein, 1/4).