OCHA: shelter a priority following Philippines typhoon

(Vatican Radio) On the 8th of November last year Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc on the central Philippines leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Two months on from the disaster which claimed the lives of 6,000 people, an estimated 4.1 million people are still living in temporary shelters.
Providing shelter has become a top priority for those providing relief to those affected by the Typhoon. One of those agencies is the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs or OCHA.
Spokeperson Russell Geekie, who's based in the capital, Manila says although great strides have been made, their work continues to provide housing.
“The greatest needs right now are for shelter… we’ve provided shelter at least basic emergency shelter material.”
He also says that another focus of their attention is on health issues.
“We’ve done very well on the health front… but we do have some concerns, we’ve seen some dengue fever…”
As well as families continuing to re-build their homes, people in the Philippines are also looking to re-build their livelihoods . OCHA estimates that that 5.9 million people’s livelihoods and income sources affected because of Typhoon Haiyan. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report