Greenpeace stands in solidarity with the Filipino people
Manila, Philippines, 6 December 2014 – Typhoon Hagupit made landfall in Dolores, Eastern Samar in the Philippines at around 9:15pm local time on Saturday, the official Philippine meteorological bureau PAGASA said.
PAGASA earlier estimated that Typhoon Hagupit had maximum sustained winds of 175 kmh near the center, with gusts of up to 210 kmh. The bureau warned of storm surges of up to 4.5 meters and heavy to torrential rainfall within the typhoon’s 600 km diameter.
Details of how communities are holding up in the storm’s path were not immediately clear, Greenpeace said it is standing in solidarity with the people of the Philippines who are once again facing a devastating extreme weather event.
Speaking from the Philippines where he intends to bear witness to the aftermath of the typhoon, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said:
“Our hearts are with the people of the Philippines tonight, with all whose loved ones are potentially in peril. We express our deepest solidarity and sympathy for a strong and proud nation at risk of another disaster, just one year after Typhoon Haiyan struck the same region.
“People are still struggling to rebuild their lives and grieving for loved ones lost. We hope this typhoon will spare them of similar pain. At first opportunity, I will travel to these communities and stand in solidarity with them.
“It is a tragedy that the price of climate change is being paid by those who carry no blame for its causes. Our climate is changing at an alarming rate and now more than ever, urgent climate action has become an issue of survival.”
Naidoo intends to travel to the impacted region together with Philippine climate negotiator Naderev ‘Yeb’ M. Sano and Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Von Hernandez.