In mid December, the Philippines was hit by one of the most powerful typhoons in recent history, Typhoon Odette. EWB-UD’s partner community of Ubujan laid directly in the path of the typhoon, which caused the destruction of homes and damage to the sensitive power grid. After receiving news of Typhoon Odette, the Philippines team reached out to the government officials of Ubujan to assist with recovery efforts. Initial updates showed that the water system developed over the previous years is undamaged, but not functional without electricity.

The Philippines team and members of Ubujan worked together to form a disaster relief plan that would assist the several hundred families that live in the community. Disaster relief funds provided by the project team went towards a generator and diesel fuel that would power the water system while the power grid is offline. Additionally, bulk quantities of rice were purchased to be distributed between the families. Ubujan was able to distribute the rice and get the generator running in mid February, nearly two months after Typhoon Odette made landfall. Members of EWB-UD are happy to hear about the steady recovery of Ubujan, and look forward to working with the community more into the future.