Over 700,000 children among the most affected as super typhoon Rolly/Goni hit the Philippines
Rolly/Goni is the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in 2020 to date amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the early morning of 1 November 2020, Super Typhoon Rolly (international name – Goni) made its first landfall in the Philippines in Bato, Catanduanes - an island province in the Bicol region in Southern Luzon - with catastrophic winds of up to 280 km/h and torrential rainfall. Rolly is the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in 2020 to date amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), around 68.6 million people are affected, with 24.3 million living in the worst-hit areas. Of the 2.3 million vulnerable people living in the most affected areas, an estimated 724,000 are children.
Significant flooding and damage to infrastructure are being reported. According to initial reports, 10 people have lost their lives, including a five-year-old child, due to drowning and falling debris.
The most affected children and their families face risks including exposure to COVID-19 and other diseases due to crowding in evacuation centers, as well as further depletion of resources that might prevent families and local governments to respond timely and sufficiently.
Children are among the most vulnerable in any emergency. UNICEF is closely monitoring the situation and is deeply concerned for the survival, development and protection of children at risk. Together with UN agencies and our partners on ground, we remain ready to assist national and local governments across all sectors when called upon. We have pre-positioned emergency supplies for families and can quickly mobilize partners and suppliers to augment Government supply if needed.
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