Build Rescue Boats in Flood Prone Communities

The 2015 typhoon season has brought several storms to the Philippines, and some of these, like typhoon Goni, sadly led to deaths and destruction in the country. Fortunately none of these storms have caused more than heavy rains in the capital itself. So, the community of Banaba, on the city’s outskirts, has so far been spared major flooding and damage.

Typhoons and tropical storms typically develop between May and October. So, at this time of the year Banaba’s residents would normally be starting to relax a little. If a major storm hasn’t struck by this point then most would assume that the danger had likely passed.

But sadly 2015 is far from a normal year.

Climate change is causing an increase in both the number and strength of storms and, in 2015, El Nino has only added to the problem. Water temperatures are higher than normal and this means more energy for severe weather systems to feed off.

The effects in the Pacific ocean have been dramatic.

On the Pacific’s eastern edge two major storms had formed by the first week in June. In a normal year this doesn’t happen until at least 2 months later in the season!  On average only three storms of this size form in a single season. But by September of 2015 the count was already double that average.

In fact, at the end of August the season became a record breaker. At this point three category four storms were all spiralling in the Pacific at the same time. This has never happened before in any ocean on the planet!

Thankfully none of these storms caused major disasters but the ferocity of the 2015 season means that nothing can be taken for granted. While the season would now normally be almost over the threat of a major typhoon hitting the Philippines is still all too real.

For this reason the residents of Banaba remain incredibly grateful for the flood rescue boats that your generous donations have provided. These boats and their brave crews have been ready to spring into action throughout the season to date. And they’ll remain on standby throughout the rest of the year.

This security means a lot to those under threat, and fifty six year old Pina had this to say about the boat you provided to their neighborhood:

“The boat is a is a very big help to us because before, we saved people using our bare hands, no tools, no equipment and we can carry one person at a time, now, with the big boat, it carries 14 people, so it makes the rescuing more efficient.”

Thanks so much for making sure that Pina, her family, and all their neighbors have a rescue boat available. 2015 may be an extraordinary years for storms but thanks to your extraordinary generosity help will be there whatever the weather brings.

As always, if you ever have any queries about how we’re using your donation, please don’t hesitate to email Andy@IDVolunteers.org. I would be delighted to hear from you.