At this very moment, the Philippines are threatened by the possibility of yet another Super Typhoon. As of one hour ago, Typhoon Hagupit is the equivalent of a Category 5 Hurricane, making it the most powerful typhoon of 2014, and is set to make landfall tomorrow. If you remember from my visit coverage last month via Twitter and Facebook, many are still recovering from Haiyan in 2013, with a reported 3,500 families living in tents and temporary shelters in the Tacloban area. Hagupit is not expected to be as powerful as Haiyan, the worst typhoon to ever make landfall, but could bring storm surges (waves!) up to one story high!!!
World Vision’s Communications Manager Cecil Laguardia says “People here are so scared. Since last night, people in the city have been ‘panic buying’ – trying to stock up on emergency food items and now most stores are empty. On the streets, people are hauling their meager belongings in pedicabs and pick-up trucks to evacuation centers, or relatives’ sturdy houses. At this point, most people in Tacloban have moved to evacuation centers.”
Knowing first hand how much devastation is likely to be caused in an already struggling community, I am asking my friends to please consider making a donation to help World Vision help these communities.
World Vision USA is helping to prepare with:
- Prepositioned 5,000 kits containing items like food, water and hygiene items for rapid initial response.
- Prepositioned supplies including tarps, water purifiers, and solar lamps for families still living in tents following Haiyan
- Produced and distributed thousands of emergency preparedness handouts to families. These explain where to evacuate, what to take along, emergency contact numbers, etc.
Remember, no amount is too small and our US dollars go a LONG way towards disaster relief. I can also 100% attest that your donations indeed go right where it’s needed and that the work World Vision and it’s employees and volunteers are doing in the Philippines is nothing short of amazing.