The United Nations (UN) has revised its appeal to the international community, almost doubling the amount it says is needed as humanitarian assistance to typhoon-devastated areas in the country from $74 million to nearly $144 million.

The UN launched the initial $74 million Flash Appeal last October 7 in Manila as well as in New York and Geneva, Switzerland to help in the relief and recovery efforts in areas battered by storm “Ondoy” which caused massive flooding in Luzon.

Since it made the appeal, however, typhoons “Pepeng” and “Santi” have wrought more devastation in wider areas of Luzon. The UN said the country now needs about $144 million to recover from the effects of the three successive typhoon disasters.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that out of the $74 million initial flash appeal, only $26 million has been received so far from the international community.

“The latest assessments by UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) show that some 4.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 520,000 children under the age of five,” the OCHA said in a statement.

“Of particular concern for humanitarian agencies are the estimated 1.7 million people still displaced or living in areas that remain flooded. These areas are likely to remain flooded for another three or four months, putting those affected at serious risk of disease outbreaks,” it added.

“Aid agencies have been reporting that funding shortfalls have limited their ability to follow through with humanitarian action plans designed to support life-saving projects and to launch early recovery efforts,” OCHA said.

UN resident coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country representative Dr. Jacqueline Badcock said Wednesday at the State of World Population 2009 – Philippine launch that 2.1 million Filipino families or about 10 million people have been affected by the three destructive typhoons that hit the country since late September.

Around 1,000 people have died from Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) and typhoons Pepeng and Santi (with international names Parma and Mirinae, respectively), while 90 people are still missing. Over 40,000 homes have also been destroyed.