/ 28 September 2009

Flood-ravaged Philippines appeals for aid

The Philippines on Monday appealed for international aid as it struggled to cope with floods that killed at least 140 people.

The Philippines on Monday appealed for international aid as it struggled to cope with floods that killed at least 140 people and displaced nearly half a million.

“We are appealing for international humanitarian assistance… for [relief from] the effects of tropical storm Ketsana,” Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a nationally televised briefing.

“The potential for a more serious situation is there and we cannot wait for that to happen,” Teodoro said, adding that he had sent a formal letter of appeal to the UN resident coordinator to the Philippines.

The appeal came after President Gloria Arroyo said Ketsana had strained the country’s “response capabilities to the limit”.

Teodoro said that apart from relief goods, funding and medicine, the Philippines may also ask for international rescue teams.

Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said among the most immediate needs were heavy equipment to clear debris from the roads. — AFP