As severe weather disasters increase, leaders at COP30 must take action

Typhoon-hit communities in the Philippines face severe food shortages in the coming days and weeks with authorities and aid agencies working to avert widespread hunger, Islamic Relief’s emergency response team is warning.

Typhoon Fung-wong has forced over 1.1 million people from their homes and devastated agriculture, and Islamic Relief’s emergency team in Aurora province says most families have lost their main sources of income and food. Islamic Relief aid workers estimate that over 96% of banana crops in the areas they have reached have been destroyed and fishermen cannot go out to sea.

Ronald Cabalquinto, part of Islamic Relief’s emergency response team, says:  

“The devastation we’re seeing is beyond previous typhoons. The water reached the height of a two-storey building and many houses near the coast have been totally washed away. There is debris everywhere. The death toll is not high, but hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now dependent on aid and only have food for two or three days. Many people have been taken in by relatives, friends and neighbours but we have also seen families at the side of the road under tarpaulins with nowhere to go.”

Sabilyo, 57, a fisherman in Aurora province, told Islamic Relief: “My family’s only source of income, our boat, was split in half by the storm’s fierce winds and waves. I don’t know where to start. My house is washed out, and my boat is gone. I just hope someone can help us start again.”

Aid agencies and the Philippines government have distributed food packs to displaced families, but they will run out in the next few days and more aid is urgently needed.

The typhoon struck on the eve of the COP30 climate change summit taking place in Brazil and Islamic Relief says the climate crisis is increasing the severity and frequency of natural disasters, hitting the poorest communities hardest. The Philippines suffered record numbers of typhoons and storms last year.  

Ronald Cabalquinto says: “In the Philippines typhoons are part of island life. But these storms have been hitting more of the islands and provinces at once and causing greater destruction than they used to. It is vital that world leaders at COP30 fulfil commitments to bring emissions and global warming to a contained level.”

Investing in early warnings and helping communities adapt to the changing climate can help save lives. In Aurora province the initial death toll from Typhoon Fung-wong was zero, thanks largely to a government warning to evacuate.

A hunger crisis is looming in Pakistan as recent floods have decimated food production in Punjab province, a main breadbasket region which produces around 50% of the country’s staple crops of rice, Maize, sugar cane and cotton. Islamic Relief is warning the destruction is likely to threaten at least two crop cycles, leading to severe shortages and pushing food prices out of reach for the poorest families. 

The monsoon floods, which began in June, have so far affected over 4.5 million people and killed around 1,000 people across the country. In Punjab province alone, at least 1.8 million acres of agricultural land have been flooded, affecting up to 70% of the province.  

Many farmers in Punjab have lost all their crops, grain stocks and livestock, which were there only source of income. Islamic Relief aid workers report that some farmers with surviving livestock are still staying in homes that are damaged or flooded with stagnant water, because they do not want to leave their precious cattle unattended as they are all they have left. 

Raza Narejo, acting country director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, said:

“Punjab province is the most important food-producing region in Pakistan, but 70% of it has been flooded and crops and livelihoods have been washed away. It will have an impact across Pakistan and national food shortages are now looming.  

“Many people here depend on agriculture, but now they have almost nothing. They are now completely dependent on government and humanitarian support. They urgently need food, water and sanitation services, and when they can return to their homes they will need seeds, fertiliser and further support to re-establish their crops on their land once more.”

Abdul Rehman, 55, from Muradabad in Punjab province escaped the floods last month with his family of five. He told Islamic Relief:

“The floods came at night and we had to run away in a hurry. We couldn’t grab anything to take with us because we were in fear. In the morning everything was destroyed. One side of our home has fallen away, and it is completely damaged. We had two goats and two sheep but they all drowned. 

“Now I have to look for other work. I have to rebuild the broken parts of my home, and for that I need to earn well, but since the floods I have been unable to find any income and my livestock are gone.”

Islamic Relief is working in flood-affected areas to deliver food, water and sanitation, and help farmers reestablish their livelihoods by providing them with seeds for planting next season and other agricultural support. Beyond agriculture, Islamic Relief has so far reached over 140,000 people in Pakistan in the aftermath of these monsoon floods with food, water, tents, and hygiene supplies.