Typhoon Yolanda / Haiyan hit the Philippines on 8 November 2013 with maximum sustained winds of 235 km/h and gusts of 275 km/h. It killed more than 6,000 people, displaced over 4.1 million people and affected over 14.1 million people. The typhoon destroyed and damaged homes, schools, health centres and other infrastructure. An UNDAC team had already been pre-deployed before the typhoon hit and more UNDAC members were deployed immediately after the typhoon struck to assist the Government of the Philippines in coordinating the relief efforts. An UNDAC environment expert deployed as part of the UNDAC team in order to support the authorities in assessing acute environmental risks caused by the typhoon with the potential to cause immediate harm to human lives, health, and the environment.
Together with the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the expert assessed the most critical industrial installations in and around Tacloban1 , where the storm surge had caused severe damage. Based on meetings with DENR in Manila prior to field visit, Tacloban was identified as the area having the biggest concentration of industrial sites that was likely to have been affected by the typhoon. The expert also supported the authorities in the assessment of safe relocation sites for affected people who were sheltering in areas at high risk from geo-hazards such as landslides and flooding in and around Tacloban. The aerial assessment of potential sites for resettlement around Tacloban identified relocation sites with less geo-hazard risk than current shelter sites.
Despite severe damage to the buildings on site and the vicinity, the gas and oil storage tanks and technical installations at the industrial sites assessed seemed to be fairly unaffected by the typhoon and the storm surge. Some contaminants are leaking into the external environment, but local residents in Tacloban City were well aware that the water from the hand pumps is not drinkable and it was being used for washing and personal hygiene. The use of water from hand pumps for sanitary use without further treatment poses a higher risk to human health.
Once reports emerged that an oil spill caused by a power barge that ran aground due to the typhoon, the UNDAC environment expert travelled to the site in Estancia, Iloilo Province, Western Visayas to assess the situation. A separate joint UNEP/OCHA/WHO assessment report was issued on the conclusions and recommendations from this initial assessment2. A request for technical assistance to EMB in Iloilo province was received by the United Nations on 22 November and an oil spill clean-up expert was deployed from 27 November until 23 December. A separate report on the salvage and clean-up operations, shoreline assessments and recommendations during the time of this deployment is available.
A report including the findings and recommendations of the site assessments for relevant authorities and gives an outlook on emerging environmental issues for the response and recovery operations is available here.
