Media CenterCRS Responds to Tropical Storm Megi in the Philippines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Manila City, Philippines:
Jomari Guillermo
Catholic Relief Services
[email protected]
63 917-8487893

Baltimore, Maryland:
Brittany Wichtendahl
Catholic Relief Services
[email protected]
(757) 748-5003

MANILA CITY, PHILIPPINES, April 14, 2022 – Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is mounting a response to Tropical Storm Megi, which hit the Philippines Sunday, killing more than 100 people and displacing thousands. The storm caused landslides in the central and southern parts of the country, which are still recovering from Super Typhoon Rai.

“The communities hit by Megi on Sunday are just starting to heal from the effects of Super Typhoon Rai, which struck the southern Philippines in December,” said Karen Janes Ungar, CRS’ country representative for the Philippines. “This new storm is devasting for them. For some families, it will have wiped out all the progress they’ve made on recovery.”

Although floods from Megi have subsided, hundreds are still in evacuation centers. As the extend of the damage from Tropical Storm Megi becomes clearer, CRS is coordinating with local partners and the government to assess the situation and the needs of affected communities.

“We know people are going to need emergency support first,” said Janes Ungar. “Things like shelter, food, clean water – those are going to be the priority – but the impacts will affect their livelihoods and ability to earn income and support their families in the long term. We are concerned about the damage to some local farms, which could cause food insecurity in these communities later this year.”

This latest tropical storm to hit the Philippines comes in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Rai, which hit in December 2021. Typhoon Rai impacted more than a million people across 10 regions, killing nearly 400 people and displacing more than 400,000. CRS responded to Typhoon Rai in the hardest-hit areas, providing 10,000 emergency shelter kits, 2,000 water purification kits, 1,700 hygiene supplies and 1,700 cooking kits.

Tropical Storm Megi struck during the Holy Week and the dry season, which is a period traditionally perceived as having less severe, adverse weather conditions. On average, the Philippines is struck by approximately 20 typhoons a year, which further highlights the growing effects of climate change and the disaster-prone vulnerability of the Philippines.
 

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org and follow Catholic Relief Services on social media in English at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube; and in Spanish at: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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