The combined effect of the existing southern monsoon and Typhoon Gaemi (Carina), has brought intense rains across the Philippines. The main island of Luzon has been heavily impacted. In Metro Manila, home to 13.5 million people, the rainfall has caused urban flooding, road closures, and significant disruptions. On July 24, the Marikina River rose to 18 meters which triggered the mandatory evacuation of many households. Widespread flooding and landslides are occurring across the island with strong winds uprooting trees and causing widespread power outages. More than 880,000 people have been affected by Typhoon Gaemi and the monsoons. More than 610,000 people have been displaced since July 18 and more than 35,000 people remain in evacuation centres. These numbers are expected to increase as more rainfall continues throughout the coming days.
GlobalMedic has a long history of responding to disasters in the Philippines including Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. One of our local partners is the Trinity Volunteer Fire Department Inc. We have worked closely with them on numerous responses such as the eruption of the Taal Volcano in 2020 and Tropical Storm Megi in 2022. GlobalMedic and our sister charity GlobalFire have worked with the department to organize donations of firefighting equipment to increase their ability to respond to emergencies.
Trinity has been actively responding to the flooding caused by Typhoon Gaemi, using equipment provided by GlobalMedic including rescue boats. They have been assisting families trapped by the flooding, allowing them to get either to an evacuation centre or other safe zone. We are continuing to support Trinity in this response and are monitoring the changing needs on the ground in order to expand relief efforts.
