By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN aid coordination office, OCHA on Monday treported that the UN is supporting Government-led efforts in the Philippines after Typhoon Fung-Wong – locally known as Uwan slammed into northern Luzon on Sunday, triggered massive evacuations and widespread disruption.
According to OCHA, over 1.3 million people were evacuated across 13 of the 18 regions before the storm made landfall, in one of the Philippines’ largest ever pre-emptive operations.
Over 480,000 people remain displaced, sheltered in some 6,000 evacuation centres.
The Government is leading the emergency response, with UN agencies and partners providing support, OCHA said
Cash assistance has been distributed, while food, tents, hygiene kits and other supplies were pre-positioned in advance, it noted.
WFP said its teams were on standby and assessed needs in affected areas, with ready-to-eat meals and rice stocks prepared for distribution in coordination with national authorities.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Arnaud Peral praised the Philippines’ swift evacuations and early warning systems, stated they had “undoubtedly saved lives”.
OCHA warned that more intense typhoons like Fung-Wong are likely as climate change warms regional seas, underscoring the need for stronger preparedness.
