EDITORIAL - Waning interest

Another typhoon season is upon us, and disasters of the past, no matter how grievous, recede from memory. This is the concern of disaster relief groups assisting victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, which hit the country in November 2013.

The response of the international community to Yolanda was overwhelming. Governments and aid organizations vowed to sustain their assistance in the task of rebuilding, which was expected to take years.

Today several groups are still there, but aid funding and attention given to Yolanda victims appear to be “waning,” according to the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights of internally displaced persons. Chaloka Beyani, who visited the Philippines for 10 days, also said sustainable, durable solutions to assist people displaced by Yolanda remained inadequate.

The problem is not surprising, considering that even victims of the three-week siege in Zamboanga in September 2013, which displaced thousands of residents and razed large swaths of the city, have not fully rebuilt their communities and lives. Beyani was reportedly prevented from visiting the siege zone due to security concerns. Similar problems beset those displaced by typhoons and massive flooding in other areas such as Compostela Valley.

While lauding government efforts to assist Yolanda victims, Beyani said “transition shelters” provided to the displaced persons lacked water, adequate electricity and sanitation. Difficult conditions in the temporary shelters have made victims relocate two or more times, he noted. Many families are still staying in communal bunkhouses where, Beyani said, inadequate basic services and the lack of privacy posed serious challenges, “particularly for women and girls who face threats including sexual abuse and early pregnancy.”

Yolanda was reported to be the most powerful tropical cyclone to make landfall, and no one expected the rebuilding to be easy. But the task will be even more difficult if the attention of concerned agencies weakens or is diverted. The observations of the UN rapporteur should spur those involved in the reconstruction to do more to avert a humanitarian crisis in the disaster zone.