20 million children More than 20 million children in the Philippines could be affected by the typhoon - especially poor families and children living near the coast.
Typhoon Goni hit the Philippines on Sunday, bringing with it catastrophic winds, storm surges and floods. Hundreds of thousands of children are crowded together in evacuation centres, where they are also exposed to diseases such as Covid-19.
After disasters such as the current typhoon Goni in the Philippines or typhoon Mangkhut (visible in the picture), our Save the Children teams are on the spot and provide immediate emergency aid.
Super Typhoon Typhoon Goni is a super typhoon of level 5 with wind speeds up to 280km/h and will hit the capital Manila on Monday.
Inhabitants More than 9 million children live in Manila and 65 million on the main island of Luzon.
Haiyan disaster The last comparable typhoon in the Philippines was Haiyan in 2013, which claimed more than 6,300 lives.
As hundreds of thousands of children huddle in evacuation centres following the most powerful typhoon in the Philippines for seven years, Save the Children fears the spread of COVID19.
Typhoon Goni made landfall across Luzon island on Sunday local time, bringing with it catastrophic winds, storm surges and widespread floods. The extent of the damage in coastal areas is still unknown, but feared to have had a high humanitarian impact.
The CEO of Save the Children in the Philippines Atty. Alberto Muyot said: “We call on the local government to urgently put in place proper health protocols to protect people sheltering in evacuation centres from life-threatening diseases including COVID-19.
We must ensure children and their families staying in evacuation centres are provided with hygiene essentials, nutritious food and clean water
![Logo Save the Children Schweiz]( "Logo Save the Children Schweiz")
The nation’s capital Manila, home to 13 million people, is bracing for the impact of the storm today. Save the Children has fears for more than nine million people living in the city.
“The impact on the most vulnerable in Manila could be horrendous. We are especially concerned for 1.5 million families forced to live in dangerous conditions along railroads tracks, garbage dumps and riverbanks.”
As soon it is safe to do so, Save the Children will deploy aid workers to the worst affected parts of Luzon island. They will quickly distribute basic life-saving hygiene kits and emergency supplies.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
How many children are affected?
We fear that more than 20 million children could be affected. Children from poor families and from coastal areas are particularly vulnerable.
What is the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone?
A storm becomes a hurricane, typhoon or cyclone as soon as it reaches wind speeds of 120km/h. What we call a storm depends on where it originates. Hurricanes occur in the Atlantic and the Caribbean, typhoons in the Asia-Northwest Pacific region and cyclones are specific to the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
How does Save the Children help?
We have our mobile emergency teams ready and will send them as soon as the situation allows to the worst affected areas where we will take immediate action to address the health and situation of children and make an initial assessment of the situation. We will then organise a relief operation adapted to the most urgent needs, coordinating with the local government and other relief agencies and providing assistance where most needed.
How can I help affected children and families in emergency situations?
Nobody knows when and where the next crisis will happen. But with your support, we are able to act quickly and decisively and provide help in the critical first hours and days after an emergency - when the children need it most.