© Disasters Emergency Committee
The Disasters Emergency Committee brings together the leading UK aid agencies to
raise money at times of humanitarian crisis in poorer countries. By working together
we can raise more money to save lives and rebuild shattered communities.
Background to the Appeal
In a brief period at the end of September and beginning of October 2009 South East Asia was hit by three separate devastating natural disasters.
Typhoon Ketsana swept through the Philippines and Vietnam causing extensive damage and flooding. This was closely followed by Typhoon Parma whose vicious storms lashed these countries again, causing further flooding. On 30 September a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the western side of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, followed by an aftershock of 6.6 a day later.
In the Philippines over 2.5 million people were affected by the destruction and flooding, causing many to abandon their homes for higher land. In Vietnam over 1 million people were affected by flooding and damage to infrastructure from the typhoons. Then in Sumatra, 1,195 people died whilst around 20,000 were injured; it is estimated that 250,578 homes were damaged, most of them significantly, in the five most seriously affected districts.
With these three major events occurring in such quick succession the Disasters Emergency Committee launched an appeal on 4 October to help the people of Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. A total of £9.3m was raised, £6.3m by the DEC itself and £3m by its members.
Who is benefitting from the response
The largest populations affected by the typhoons were the poor in the Philippine capital, Metro Manila, and the rural poor in Vietnam where Member Agencies are mostly worked with marginalised tribal communities. Homes, crops and livelihoods were also destroyed in the northern Philippines.
In the city of Padang and the surrounding areas of Indonesia the main beneficiaries are those who lost their homes and had their livelihoods destroyed by the earthquake. Here many of the better off were also severely affected because poor construction practices saw many buildings collapse.
DEC agencies focused their efforts on helping the most vulnerable, including the elderly, children, the disabled, single headed households and the unwaged. The bulk of the money raised for this appeal was needed to provide urgent assistance in first six months after the disasters.
Appeal Broadcast
Allocation of funds to Member Agencies
DEC INDONESIA, PHILIPPINES & VIETNAM APPEAL VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: Myleene Klass presented the Appeal on ITV and said “I myself have family in the Philippines as my Mum’s from there and yet these people could be any one of us.”
