APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY and SUPPORT FOR TYPHOON YOLANDA SURVIVORS
After more than 2 weeks since the unfortunate super Typhoon Yolanda hit the central regions in the Philippines, the head count of casualties, injured, missing and affected populations unfortunately continues to rise up every day. At the onset of disaster, it was estimated that the casualties in affected areas of Samar, Leyte, Sorsogon, Northern Cebu, Panay, Capiz and the rest of the areas where the eye of Typhoon Yolanda made her six landfalls could reach around 10,000 deaths. This figure is not far to happen given that fast rising death tool as of today has already reached 5,209 for Region 8 alone, around 1,600 individuals are still missing and about 13,000 injured. Threats of further deaths due illnesses brought about by the extra difficult situations in evacuation camps continue to haunt among survivors who are now temporarily sheltered in tents and in partially collapsed buildings. In fact, there are several reports of deaths already in evacuation camps due to deteriorating health sickness and complications. The Tri-Peopleβs Organization Against Disasters (TRIPOD) together with the Ranao Disaster Response Rehabilitation Action Center (RDRRAC) in Iligan City lead the coordination efforts of around 50 network organizations in Mindanao in a Joint Emergency Response Operation dubbed as βMindanao Solidarity for Typhoon Yolanda Survivorsβ. The campaign is initiated by a newly formed humanitarian network called the Mindanao Humanitarian Action Network against Disasters (Mi-HANDs). On November 14-19, 2013, Mi-HANDs sent a team to the affected regions of Visayas to do Rapid Assessment on the needs and conditions of the survivors. They reached Daan Bantayan, Cebu, Palompon and Villaba in Leyte and Ormoc City. In these areas 95 to 100 % of the populations are affected but definite data figures remain to be generated by local government units whose officials and workers have also suffered severe devastations. Affected villages in these areas also are among those that have not received yet any relief assistance from the government or any responding organizations; hence, these were identified by Mi-HANDs as priority areas for emergency relief assistance. Series of logistical and materials preparations and emergency resource mobilizations are being done by all member organizations to prepare for our sustained Relief Delivery Operation (RDO) to begin on 26 November, 2013. There will be kind-hearted and skilled volunteers on this mission with 3 sub-committees to carry out Relief Delivery Operations, Psycho-social therapy and medical treatment. We are raising financial, materials and logistical support to provide food packs and hygiene kits to surviving families. Each household will receive a relief pack worth Php 1,500 each with food pack containing rice, dried fish, sardines, Mongo beans, sugar instant coffee, and cooking oil together and a hygiene kit containing bath soap, detergent, toothpaste and toothbrush, face towel, nail cutter, and sanitary napkin. TRIPOD and RDRRAC together with network partners in Mindanao under the initiative of Mi-HANDs would like to APPEAL to you kind-hearted friends for any financial and materials support for our ongoing campaign to help the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda. Our intervention and assistance is not only foreseen limited to doing emergency assistance but even to the recovery and rehabilitation phase as well as in future pro-active campaigns for disaster risk reduction and climate justice. Please contact/channel your support to:
Mindanao Humanitarian Action Network against Disasters (Mi-HANDs)
www.mihands.org
TRIPOD Foundation, Inc.
37 Tulingan Street, Usman Subdivision, Bagua 2
9600 Cotabato City
Tel: +63 64 421 1369
Website: [email protected]
RDRRAC Inc. Door 2, Maca-agir Apartment
6th East, Tubod, Iligan City
Tel: 063 223-3171
Thank you very much for your immediate attention.
