What is the impact of typhoons in the Philippines
The Philippines has been hit by sixteen typhoons this year alone. The most recent, Tropical Storm Paeng (also known as Nalgae), struck only weeks after the previous, leaving communities with no time to recover in between.
- Over 50 people have died
- Over 370,000 people have been affected
- Widespread flooding and landslides across multiple regions
Please give now to help people in the Philippines and support those impacted by disasters.
Typhoon Noru (Karding)
Tropical Storm Paeng comes very shortly after Typhoon Noru (also known as Karding), which was the most powerful cyclone to hit the country this year. Super Typhoon Noru has slammed into the north of the country, forcing thousands of people from their homes and causing massive damage across multiple regions.
- At least five rescuers have died
- 911,000 people have been affected
- Over 56,000 homes damaged
Donate now
Typhoon Rai
Typhoon Rai brought torrential rain, strong winds, flash floods, landslides and extensive damage to homes and livelihoods in late 2021. You can read more about the immediate impact of Typhoon Rai here.
Over 1.8 million Filipinos were impacted by Typhoon Rai.
- Over 600,000 people evacuated
- 375 casualties
- Roads are impassable due to flooding and fallen trees
- Many communities are now stranded without power, telecommunications and clean water
Why is the Philippines impacted by typhoons?
The Philippines is one of the countries most impacted by typhoons and super typhoons in the world. There are about 20 tropical cyclones in the Philippines every year, but most of them never reach the intensity of the mega-storms like Rai in 2021 or Noru in 2022.
As storms increase in both severity and frequency, the ability for communities to not only effectively plan but to also respond and recover is diminished with each passing storm.
Geography has an impact - as an archipelago of roughly 7,000 islands and islets in the Pacific Ocean, many communities live close to the water. This makes communities more vulnerable to tropical storms like typhoons.
But when typhoons do hit, they are now more destructive than ever before due to environmental and climate change.
- Higher temperatures as a result of climate change mean that the sea surface is now warmer. This removes the natural buffer on typhoon strength that used to be provided by colder water temperatures.
- Rising sea levels mean that sea waters are now closer to communities and more destructive than before during storms.
- Deforestation means that even weak storms can cause dangerous landslides or mudslides. Sometimes these landslides or mudslides cause as many deaths as the winds from the storm.
Give now to help communities recover and rebuild from disasters.
Caritas Australia's partner, Caritas Philippines, is on the ground actively coordinating relief, including wash kits, shelter and food supplies.
Give now to help communities recover and rebuild from disasters.
Donate now
When emergencies hit, we are on the ground with:
Food, water and emergency shelter
Hygiene, PPE and sanitation kits
Medication and health services
Trauma support
How to help people impacted by typhoons in the Philippines
We're in a unique position to assist communities before, during and after emergencies through our network of local partners and churches. But we can only continue this work with the help of generous people like you.
Caritas Australia's partner, Caritas Philippines, is on the ground actively coordinating relief for the people most affected by tropical storms and typhoons in the Philippines. Our partner is able to provide temporary emergency shelter, food and clean water, medical supplies, sanitation and hygiene, to help ease the immediate impacts of tropical storms and to prevent the spread of disease and protect people from exposure.
Please give what you can so that children, women and men receive the vital supplies they need to rebuild their lives.
Where does my donation go?
The funds raised through this appeal will be used to provide immediate and longer-term humanitarian assistance to communities affected by typhoons in the Philippines. Where this is not possible, the funds will be used to provide immediate and longer-term development and humanitarian assistance to communities affected by crises and poverty across the world. If any excess funds remain after a crisis, or if there are changes in circumstances beyond our control that limit our ability to use the funds, they are kept in the Emergency Response Appeal so that we can respond to ongoing development needs and future crises across all our regions.