Cop29, devastating storms hit Asia and the Caribbean: 6 typhoons in the Philippines in just one month

ROMA – The numerous storms that have hit the coasts of the Caribbean and the Philippines are a reminder of the urgent need for decisive climate action that supports communities bearing the brunt of extreme weather conditions. This is the alarm raised today by the UN World Food Program (WFP). This call to action comes as the world ponders the outcome of COP29, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which concludes tomorrow.

“We need to break the cycle.” “Floods, violent storms and record heat waves are pushing millions of people into hunger. For communities on the front lines of the climate crisis, every storm means their situation worsens: this cycle must stop,” said Rania Dagash-Kamara, Deputy Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation at WFP. “At WFP, we are advancing decisive climate solutions in fragile contexts, but we need governments and partners to prioritize this urgent problem.”

Powerful and continuous storms: a scourge for millions of people. In recent weeks, powerful and repeated storms have affected millions of people and pushed communities into destitution. In the Caribbean, Cuba was hit by two major hurricanes, a tropical storm inundated the Central American coast, and heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides in Colombia and several small island states. The storms destroyed homes, crops and plunged Cuba into a national blackout for several days.

However, food was guaranteed for 525 thousand people. WFP managed to pre-position food before the storms arrived and, working together with governments, expects to reach 525,000 people. Across the region, WFP is also scaling up climate solutions, including early warning systems, preventive actions and insurance to protect food-insecure communities. This hurricane season, WFP has supported Caribbean nations in their preparedness efforts and to ensure that climate insurance payments triggered by July’s Category 5 hurricane Beryl are used for social grants to support the most vulnerable.

Six typhoons in a single month in the Philippines. In just one month, an unprecedented six typhoons hit the Philippines, affecting nearly 10 million people in all but one region, and displacing 1.1 million. Since records began in 1951, this is the first time six typhoons have hit the country in such a short time. Two of these storms were classified as super typhoons, causing more than $308 million in damage to infrastructure, housing and agriculture.

Other WFP aid. WFP is supporting the Philippine government’s emergency response by transporting food parcels for 840,000 people. WFP is also providing cash assistance to over 72,000 people and data connectivity via satellite communications for relief workers and over 500 displaced people. Last year, WFP launched the “Preparedness and Response Excellence in Philippines” to strengthen government capabilities through digitalization, development of climate-proof policies and operations centers.

The destruction of lives and livelihoods. Around the world, rising temperatures, frequent droughts, recurring floods and erratic weather patterns are destroying lives and livelihoods at a relentless rate, making it harder for families to grow food and recover from disasters. In 2023 alone, climate extremes pushed 72 million people to crisis or emergency levels of hunger, marking a 26 percent increase from the previous year. In 2023, WFP supported around 18 million people before and after climate shocks with long-term solutions. This support included, among others, advance cash transfers, early warning information, climate risk insurance, integrated climate solutions – combining climate-smart agriculture, disaster risk reduction, value chain development and training professional.

What is WFP. The UN Agency World Food Programme (World Food Program) is the largest humanitarian organization in the world committed to saving lives in emergencies and whose food assistance seeks to build a path to peace, stability and prosperity for those recovering from conflicts, disasters and the impacts of climate change .