MANILA - The United Nations’ World Food Program is providing food rations, including 740,000 kilos of rice, to about 178,000 Filipinos affected by the flooding caused by tropical storm Ondoy.
According to WFP, providing vital food rations was just an initial response to the calamity, to help Filipinos cope with the impact of the storm.
"We are deeply saddened by the magnitude of the human suffering caused by this natural calamity and we assure the Philippine government and its people of our support for a swift and coordinated recovery effort," said Stephen Anderson, WFP Country Representative in the Philippines, in a statement.
Some 80 percent of Metro Manila was submerged following the record rainfall brought about by the storm, affecting more than 450,000 residents.
WFP said at least 145,000 people— many of whom found themselves neck deep in water on Saturday— had been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in evacuation centers or host communities.
On Sunday, WFP participated in a government-organized helicopter survey of some of the most affected areas. A joint assessment by the government and UN agencies is currently underway.
Since 2006, WFP has been supporting conflict-affected populations in Mindanao, but it also supports large-scale natural disaster response on a case-by-case basis.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
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