MANILA, PHILIPPINES (November 20, 2013) - Families devastated by Typhoon Haiyan are volunteering to support aid distribution efforts in central Philippines, as communities previously cut off receive critical supplies.
An estimated 13 million people have been affected by the typhoon, with over 4,000 people confirmed dead. More than two million people are currently living unprotected in the open, with a further two million people unable to return to their homes.
CARE’s David Gazashvili, who is leading CARE’s Typhoon Haiyan emergency response effort, said local volunteers had been crucial in helping to get food to people as quickly as possible. ‘Many of the volunteers who are helping our teams have themselves lost loved ones, had their homes destroyed and their lives torn apart. Yet they are here, helping us get urgent food and supplies to fellow survivors. Their resilience and concern for their community has been incredible to see.’
Mr Gazashvili said with the support of volunteers, CARE relief packages which include rice, canned fish, corned beef and biscuits were now reaching communities that had been virtually cut off since Typhoon Haiyan hit. ‘Each day the number of families who have received critical assistance grows, and communities previously cut off by impassable roads now have assistance coming in. By Thursday we will have reached all 16 remote baranguays (villages) around Ormoc, delivering crucial food aid to more than 24,000 people.’
‘In the coming days CARE and our partners will be distributing food and shelter packs in villages throughout Leyte, Panay and Samar, with the aim to reach at least 200,000 people. This work will be essential in saving lives, preventing sickness and ensuring families have the supplies to begin the process of rebuilding their lives.’
A donation of $130 can provide 10 food packages for families, $256 can provide materials for eight emergency shelters and $450 can provide food and shelter packages to 10 families. Anybody wishing to support families affected by Typhoon Haiyan can donate here.
CARE Australia CEO Dr Julia Newton-Howes said that despite progress in recent days, the situation in central Philippines remained dire, and urgent support was still needed to support the relief effort and the long-term recovery in Leyte, Samar and Panay, three of the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Haiyan. ‘This is the largest emergency relief operation in our neighbourhood since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, and Australians have responded strongly to this crisis,’ she said.
‘Yet more than four million people – the equivalent of the population of Melbourne – are now living out in the open or in temporary shelters. These families are in urgent need of food and shelter, and more support is needed to help get it to them as quickly as possible. At the same time, we need to help them get back on their feet in the long-term, as farmers need to recover their fields, shop owners their businesses and families need to get an income again.’
Click here to read more press releases or blogs about CARE's emergency response to Typhoon Haiyan.
Media Contacts:
Laura Sheahen (Manila), [email protected];
Melanie Brooks (Geneva), [email protected], +41227951045
About CARE: CARE has worked in the Philippines since 1949, providing emergency relief when disaster strikes and helping communities prepare for disasters. CARE's past responses in the Philippines have included Typhoon Bopha in 2012 and Typhoon Ketsana in 2009. Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE has more than six decades of experience delivering emergency aid during times of crisis. Our emergency responses focus on the needs of the most vulnerable populations, particularly girls and women. Last year CARE worked in 84 countries and reached more than 83 million people around the world.