FROM THE FIELD
MANILA, Philippines, June 24, 2008 - World Vision is appealing for USD 2 million to provide relief in the form of food and non-food items to 25,000 families after Typhoon Fengshen, swept across southern, central and northern parts of the Philippines causing landslides and large scale flooding, forcing hundreds of children and their families to evacuate their homes.
World Vision's Relief Director, Jose Bersales, says children affected by the typhoon are the most vulnerable; basic needs including food, potable water and medicines have yet to be met.
World Vision is sponsoring 22,000 children in nine Area Development Programmes in the worst-hit areas of Panay Island, Mindanao Province and Central Luzon, Zambales Province. The Christian aid organisation has been working in the Philippines for 50 years and is aptly positioned to quickly respond to the needs of typhoon-affected communities.
World Vision is responding to the needs of local communities with pre-positioned emergency supplies and will be scaling up its operations in the upcoming days.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) says more than 100,000 families across 20 provinces are estimated to be affected by Typhoon Frank.
Assessment teams deployed to hardest-hit areas
WV Philippines sent four Humanitarian Emergency Assessment and Response Teams to Panay Island, Southern Luzon and Central Luzon to assess the damage.
In Iloilo Province, World Vision staff reported several villages covered in mud measuring as high as half a foot thick; residents are wading through mud to clear roadways.
Based on interviews with local officials, World Vision Emergency Assessment Teams say food, potable water and medicines are among the most urgent needs of the affected people in Iloilo Province.
"Water supply has also been cut off," commented Disaster Management Specialist Reynor Imperial. "Flood waters submerged many homes, leaving extensive damage, including damage to the homes of some of our staff," he continued.
For more information or expert interviews, please contact:
Minnie Portales at Minnie_Portales@wvi.org or (cell) +639175342165
or
Dominique Tabora at Dominique_Tabora@wvi.org or (cell) +639178735458.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
