World Vision is assisting the survivors of devastating flash flooding in the southern Philippines, as rescuers search for more than 800 people missing.

The cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan on the island of Mindanao were worst hit when typhoon Washi landed on shore late on Friday night, sending torrents of water and mud through villages and mountainsides. Houses with families inside were swept into rivers and out to sea, killing more than 650 people in dozens of coastal villages.

Aid worker Crislyn Felisilda reported that the wellbeing of children who had lost or been separated from family members was a top concern for World Vision. “I spoke with a 13-year-old girl, Remy, whose mother was found dead and whose father and two siblings were still missing,” said Felisilda. “Many children like Remy that I spoke with were crying, others just stared into space. Many children are looking for their loved ones.”

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“The focus now is on providing water and simple foods to children and families,” said World Vision worker John Salva, describing access to water as particularly critical. “People are walking in the streets with no shoes, their clothes muddied, carrying containers trying to find sources of water,” he said. “Even if people were able to salvage rice, there is no safe water or electricity to cook it.”

Families try to cope with unprecedented flooding

Overnight, as the storm approached, World Vision staff had worked with local authorities to warn residents living in the mountain slopes and in the low-lying and flood-prone areas of the danger of flash floods and landslides. However, the sheer volume of water and the fact that the flooding happened at night while there was no electricity took people by surprise, killing those trapped in their homes. Many of the bodies are children and the elderly who could not escape.
 
“People told us they woke up to find their belongings, TV sets and the like, floating past them. The flooding came from nowhere,” said Salva. Thousands of evacuees are in evacuation centres, but some families have returned to their houses because the centres are full.

World Vision to provide relief

World Vision relief teams have mobilised to provide 7,000 families in Cagayan de Oro with drinking water, rice, biscuits, and canned goods, as well as emergency items like hygiene kits with soap, blankets, sleeping mats, cooking pots and utensils. Distributions to another 3,000 families in Iligan are also being planned.

 “Children's needs will remain World Vision's top focus in our relief efforts,” said Salva, whose teams are planning to set up a Child Friendly Space to provide the youngest survivors a safe place to play. World Vision also plans to distribute school supplies to some 10,000 school children.
 
Communities had been planning holiday festivities when the flooding hit, as Filipinos mark the start of the traditional nine-day Simbang Gabi (Mass of Dawn) leading up to Christmas Eve.

Donate to World Vision’s emergency preparedness fund and help children and families in the Philippines.