UN: Typhoon Odette destruction 'badly underestimated'

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Aftermath of Typhoon Odette in Roxas, Palawan. Courtesy of Mathilde Conde Cequiña/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/12/22/20211219-odetteph-roxas-palawan-mcequina1-s.jpg"/><figcaption>Aftermath of Typhoon Odette in Roxas, Palawan. Courtesy of Mathilde Conde Cequiña/file</figcaption></figure></div>The United Nations said destruction caused by Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) in the Philippines had been &quot;badly underestimated&quot; in initial assessments, tripling the number of people &quot;seriously affected&quot; to nine million.A UN campaign to raise $107.2 million in aid for victims was launched a week after the storm ravaged southern and central regions of the archipelago on December 16, leaving 406 people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. But UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez said Thursday the target would be revised after more than 66 field assessments showed the destruction was far worse than initially thought. &quot;One month since the first landfall of Super Typhoon Rai we realise that we have badly underestimated the scale of devastation,&quot; Gonzalez told a virtual briefing. More than 1.5 million houses were damaged or destroyed in the storm -- almost a third more than in 2013&#x27;s Super Typhoon Haiyan -- Gonzalez said, adding more resources were &quot;badly needed&quot;.Only 40 percent of the funds had been received, Gonzalez said, calling for solidarity with the Philippines to avoid the typhoon becoming a &quot;forgotten crisis&quot;.Typhoon-hit areas already struggling with Covid-19, poverty and malnutrition had seen their economies &quot;literally flattened&quot;. &quot;This is a very fragile region,&quot; he said. Humanitarian groups have been working with the government to distribute food packs, drinking water, tents and materials to rebuild houses.But the scale of the disaster, lack of power and communications in some areas, and depleted government coffers after the Covid-19 response have hampered efforts to distribute aid. An Omicron-fuelled surge in infections is also forcing relief workers into isolation and making travel more difficult.Persistent rain in the region was adding to the misery, Gonzalez said. &quot;We are talking about a crisis within a crisis,&quot; he said.Odette, the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines last year, intensified faster than expected, officials said previously. Scientists have long warned that typhoons are strengthening more rapidly as the world becomes warmer because of human-driven climate change.The Philippines -- ranked among the most vulnerable nations to its impacts -- is hit by an average of 20 storms every year.In 2013, Typhoon Yoland (Haiyan) was the strongest storm ever to have made landfall, leaving over 7,300 people dead or missing. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1871823" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The United Nations said destruction caused by Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) in the Philippines had been 'badly underestimated' in initial assessments, tripling the number of people 'seriously affected' to nine million.

UN: Typhoon Odette destruction 'badly underestimated' | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

Traffic

Horoscope

News

UN: Typhoon Odette destruction 'badly underestimated'

UN: Typhoon Odette destruction 'badly underestimated'

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 21, 2022 05:37 PM PHT

|

Updated Jan 21, 2022 05:38 PM PHT

Read More:

Typhoon Odette

weather

philippines

disaster

UN

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.