When Typhoon Durian tore through the eastern Philippines on the last day of November, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) responded immediately to the needs of the survivors, providing food and emergency aid to those affected by the devastating storm.
Typhoon Durian ripped through the Philippines with winds that reached up to 224 kph. The storm damaged 120,000 homes, uprooted trees, and cut off power to thousands. President Gloria Arroyo declared the area a national disaster, allowing the government to fund more rapidly relief efforts. Total damage has reached approximately $727 million.
Official records estimate that to date at least 570 were killed in the disaster, with 746 still missing and feared dead. Many of those killed were buried alive when Durian triggered mudslides and dislodged tons of volcanic debris from the slopes of Mayon, the country's most active volcano. Walls of mud and boulders swept down the sides of the volcano, destroying everything in their paths and burying entire villages.
"The situation is, needless to say, terrible," said Göran Hansen, ADRA Philippines Executive Director. "The devastation is horrible. As many as 11 villages are buried under mud, close to the Mayon volcano."
ADRA Philippines responded immediately to the disaster, distributing food and other essential items for survivors over the weekend. In Albay Province, ADRA Philippines provided 550 families with relief assistance, including clothing, tarps, and blankets. In Quezon and Batangas Provinces, 350 families received food packets.
In answer to the need for medical care, ADRA Philippines is expanding its response by sponsoring a medical team, which will provide 6,000 typhoon survivors with medical assistance. An additional 780 families in the Bicol region are receiving food baskets and other essentials, such as utensils, cooking pots, and soap. In addition, ADRA Philippines is distributing several tons of clothing to families that lost their belongings in the typhoon.
ADRA Philippines is working with the National Disaster Coordinating Council, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and local organizations to identify beneficiaries most in need of care.
To date, the ADRA network's Typhoon Durian emergency response project in the Philippines is valued at over $68,000, and is funded by ADRA Canada, ADRA International, and the ADRA offices in the Philippines, UK, Norway, Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, along with the ADRA Asia Regional Office located in Bangkok, Thailand.
To assist in the effort to provide emergency aid for survivors of Typhoon Durian in the Philippines, please call 1.888.274.2372 or donate online at www.adra.ca.
Find additional information about ADRA Canada at www.adra.ca. ADRA Canada is part of the ADRA network, which is present in more than 100 countries providing community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age or ethnicity.
Thank you for your support!
ADRA Canada, 1148 King St E, Oshawa, ON, L1H 1H8, Canada.
jrla@adra.ca ~ www.adra.ca ~ Tel: +1.905.433.8004 ~ Fax: +1.905.723.1903
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
