Situation Report – December 27, 2011
By Jun Velasco, Country Director, Philippines
Typhoon Washi (locally called “Sendong”) has claimed more than 1,200 lives and left 1,000 people missing, according to BBC Asia.
Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City were unexpectedly and severely damaged by the typhoon’s wrath when flashfloods swept away people and their houses in the dead of the night on December 16, 2011. Thousands now find themselves homeless without food, water and other basic necessities.
Survivors from the Northern Mindanao region are crying for help, and HOPE worldwide
Philippines has responded by sending teams of social workers and child advocates to
provide survivors with psychosocial interventions, child protection services, and relief
assistance. A total of 12 staff members are presently helping at the scene.
HOPE worldwide’s local partner churches are working hard to meet the needs of the victims.
They are gathering the following supplies:
- Water purifying tablets and equipment;
- Analgesics and broad spectrum antibiotics and medicines for coughs, colds,
- asthma and other respiratory tract infections;
- Medicines such as topical preparations against scabies, lice, fungus or skin
- diseases common in evacuation centers;
- Maintenance medicines for hypertension and diabetes;
- Lightweight aluminum cookware & kitchen utensils;
- Solar or battery powered lights, cell phone chargers and transistor radios;
- Powdered milk, infant formula and coffee
- Instant or "ready meals"
- New undergarments
- Personal hygiene products such as sanitary napkins, baby diapers soap
- shampoo and toothpaste
- Lighweight blankets and bed linens
- Good used clothing, slippers, and shoes
- Raincoats, sweaters, windbreakers andjackets for all ages
- School supplies and public school uniforms
Items such as instant noodles, sardines, rice, sugar, salt, cooking oil and drinking water
are already easily available near the impacted area and in the contiguous unaffected
provinces.
How You Can Help Outside of the Philippines
By purchasing these items from businesses at or near the disaster site we can help the
local economy recover faster.
If you live outside of the Philippines, please consider making a financial donation to assist in the purchase of these goods.
To make a donation through HOPE worldwide, please click here.