UNITED NATIONS, November 7 (RIA Novosti) — Exactly one year after the Philippines was struck by Typhoon Haiyan, the UN announced on Friday that since then it has provided 3.7 million people with food assistance and almost one million people with rehabilitated water systems.
The UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for the Philippines, Luiza Carvalho, said on Friday that the UN is "humbled by the extraordinary resilience of the Filipino people who, despite the unprecedented destruction and tragedy that struck, pushed through individually and collectively, and with generosity of spirit, to this point where recovery is well underway".
The UN said in the past year it has provided 350,000 Filipinos with new or rehabilitated latrines, 570,000 households with emergency shelter, 162,000 households with emergency employment and 100,000 farmers with agricultural seeds and tools.
"We recognize that 'building back better' will be a complex and long process, particularly the rehabilitation of human settlements and the restoration of livelihoods. There is also the immediate concern of preparedness against upcoming weather systems for families and communities whose coping mechanisms are not completely restored. We are committed to support this process," Carvalho concluded.
When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, Micronesia, Southern China and Vietnam in November 2013, it caused over 6,300 deaths, thousands of injuries, and the destruction of services and infrastructure. The damage stretched over many thousands of miles, affecting 14 million people in its path.
