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Earthquake in Japan: ACF Responding to Tsunami Threat in Philippines

Action Against Hunger’s disaster prevention programs install early warning systems to help at-risk populations evacuate
March 11, 2011

Tsunami-swamped airport in Japan; ACF is rushing to help communities evacuate from tsunami-prone areas in the Philippines. Photo credit: © REUTERS/KYODO, courtesy Trust.org
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CATANDUANES, PHILIPPINES—In response to the threat of tsunamis resulting from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan, the international humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger | ACF International has launched emergency measures with local and national authorities to help more than 45,000 people evacuate from at-risk areas of Catanduanes, an island province of the Philippines.

Highly prone to natural disasters, the Philippines has worked to prioritize a series of risk management projects, and the current evacuations were made possible by the early warning systems that Action Against Hunger installed last year as part of this broader natural disaster prevention framework. “Action Against Hunger worked closely with the populations in the villages and barangays, installing radios and signal repeaters and preparing evacuation plans in the case of typhoons, tsunamis and other natural disasters, which made today’s warnings possible,” states Manila Suresh Murugesu, Action Against Hunger’s Water & Sanitation Coordinator in the Philippines.

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“At the moment the population has not begun to panic and is following the instructions provided by local authorities over the radio,” explains Eric Fort, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in the Philippines. “Our own staff have now also taken refuge in the evacuation centers.”

About Action Against Hunger | ACF International

Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. Recognized as a leader in the fight against malnutrition, Action Against Hunger works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger. With over 30 years of expertise in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity, Action Against Hunger runs life-saving programs in some 40 countries benefiting 5 million people each year.

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