MANILA – The European Union (EU) announced on Friday it is donating 1.05 million euros (roughly PHP60 million) in humanitarian aid to deliver emergency relief assistance to the victims of Typhoon Ulysses.
This is on top of its recent donation of PHP74.5 million to support families affected by Super Typhoon Rolly, raising its total contribution to Manila’s typhoon response to PHP134 million as of November 20.
“The EU is scaling up its humanitarian assistance in the Philippines in response to the devastating typhoons that have hit the country over the past month,” said Arlynn Aquino, who oversees the EU’s humanitarian response in the Philippines. “The additional contribution will help to get much-needed aid to the most vulnerable people to help them go through this difficult time.”
The fresh funding will support humanitarian aid partners who are already on the ground to respond to the immediate needs of those most in need.
The provision includes shelter, food, health care, and access to clean water, safe sanitation, and good hygiene, as well as other vital aid.
The “Ulysses” assistance is part of the EU’s Acute Large Emergency Response Tool (ALERT), which is used to respond to large natural disasters where more than 100,000 people or more than 50 percent of the population are affected.
Depending on the type of disaster, the aim is to allocate funds within 24 hours to 48 hours of the onset of the emergency.
“Ulysses” hit the country while it was still trying to cope with the devastating impact of the more powerful “Rolly”.
With maximum sustained winds of 155 kph, “Ulysses” caused heavy downpours and severe flooding in several provinces in Luzon, damaging more than 65,000 houses.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a total of 73 dead, 24 injured, and 19 missing persons were reported in the Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Calabarzon, and Cordillera regions following the onslaught of “Ulysses”.