MANILA, October 22, 2009 (AFP) - The Philippines may seek international aid to rebuild following two devastating cyclones that killed more than a thousand people, Filipino and World Bank officials said Thursday.

A "post-disaster needs assessment" is currently being conducted to determine the extent of the damage from tropical storms Ketsana ("Ondoy") and Parma ("Pepeng") and identify measures for reconstruction, the finance department said in a statement.

The United Nations, the Asian Development Bank and the European Commission are also involved in the discussions, which began Tuesday, it added.

"The huge tasks at hand both in terms of short-term recovery and long-term reconstruction demand no less than a concerted response from all sectors of society and the global community," Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said.

World Bank country director Bart Hofman said the assessment "will serve as a framework by which the country could mobilise greater support from the broader global community for recovery and reconstruction."

"It is extremely important for the country to recover as soon as possible and alleviate the conditions of the poor who were the most affected by these calamities," he said, adding the Bank would coordinate the effort.

Manila has already appealed for international help to deal with a bacterial disease outbreak that has killed 148 people in crowded evacuation camps, currently housing some 200,000 people displaced by floods.

In addition to the evacuees, the World Health Organization said 1.28 million people are still living in flooded areas, many of them in Manila.