The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday it has approved a $2-million grant to support the Philippines’ emergency response for the devastation in central and southern provinces caused by Typhoon Rai.

Typhoon Rai, the 15th and the strongest one of last year that made landfall in the country on December 16, killed more than 400 people, Xinhua news agency reported.

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The Manila-based bank said the grant under the ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund will provide humanitarian assistance to about 15,000 households, or about 75,000 people, in Visayas and Mindanao which is severely affected by the typhoon.

ADB added the grant will fund food vouchers for target communities, which beneficiaries can exchange for food in selected markets. The grant also includes logistics support for the food assistance delivery.

“Typhoon Rai’s damage on housing, agriculture, and infrastructure amid the Covid-19 pandemic has made life more difficult for Filipinos in affected areas,” ADB Director General for Southeast Asia, Ramesh Subramaniam, said, adding that the grant will help finance the humanitarian needs, especially people living in remote areas.

The ADB said it is partnering with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver food assistance. It builds on the WFP’s ongoing work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide emergency relief to typhoon-hit areas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council estimated the typhoon cost damage of 24.6 billion pesos (nearly $500 million). It impacted crops, public infrastructure, and private property. Several areas still remain blocked by collapsed roads and bridges and without electricity.

The category 5 typhoon destroyed more than 1.7 million houses in eight provinces. The UN estimated over 9.9 million people across the six worst-hit regions were affected by the typhoon, with nearly 144,000 people still being homeless as of January 28.

In December, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of calamity for a year in the six regions to accelerate rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.