This report marks the one-year anniversary of the typhoon that struck the central region of the Philippines on the morning of 8 November 2013. Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, was one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, with wind speeds reaching up to 195 miles per hour. The damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan was extensive, affecting many of the islands of the central Philippines. Over 1 million homes were damaged or completely destroyed, more than 6,000 people lost their lives and over 4 million people were displaced.
A significant proportion of those affected by the typhoon were older people. Around 1.27 million, or 8% of the reported 16 million affected people were aged 60 years or over.
Many older people lost relatives, shelter and livelihoods, leaving them displaced and traumatised. Many had to deal with existing vulnerabilities such as non communicable diseases associated with poverty and poor nutrition. Poor access to information compromised their ability to receive help. For example, 75% of older people interviewed by HelpAge and UNHCR did not know that medical services were available free of charge.
About 65% of older people were working pre-Haiyan, but many were not included in post-Haiyan cash-for work programmes.
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