Typhoon Bopha/Pablo Situation Report (12 December 2012): Health centers damaged, villages not receiving any help

UNFPA has conducted assessments in the typhoon Bopha (Pablo) affected provinces of Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Davao Oriental. Of the three provinces the worst-affected is Davao Oriental particularly the municipalities of Boston, Cateel and Baganga with 100 per cent of the population directly affected.

The Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Boston attends to an average of 200 patients daily since the typhoon struck. Of its 13,775 population affected, 25 were reported dead and one still missing. Four of its eight barangays reported 969 injured persons. Records prior to the typhoon indicate that there were 285 pregnant women in its eight barangays.

In Cateel, which has a population of 40,000, 119 deaths have been reported, 51 missing and 932 injuries. The figures are based only on the number of patients brought to the Cateel District Hospital. There were 16 health centers in the municipality but only three remain functional. Fifteen deliveries have been registered in the district hospital since the onset of the disaster.

While most of the attention is focused on Boston, Cateel and Baganga, some affected barangays in other provinces are not receiving relief. Almost 100 per cent of the structures in barangays Unyon, Pagtilaan and San Roque in the Municipality of Lingig in Surigao del Sur have been wiped-out by the strong winds of brought by the typhoon.

UNFPA has set-up operational bases for its humanitarian response in Trento, Agusan del Sur for Davao Oriental, and Nabunturan for Compostela Valley.