One week after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines, the situation is still dire. The immediate priorities are housing, food, water and sanitation. Farms, fields and fishing resources have all been badly damaged. Markets have been devastated. Approximately 100,000 hectares of rice and other key crops have been lost or damaged. And 2.5 million people are in need of food assistance.
The death toll is in the thousands. But there is hope after this storm.
Since the beginning of the emergency, ACF has been on the ground in the Philippines.
ACF teams have distributed drinking water and survival kits containing buckets, soap, chlorine tablets and other sanitation equipment. In anticipation of such disasters, ACF maintains stocks of such equipment to help stave off outbreaks of waterborne diseases. At an infrastructure level, ACF teams set up mobile water treatment plants, massive “bladders” for distributing clean water, and emergency pumps and filtration systems to ensure access to water in the coming weeks.
Today, our teams started the distribution of 128 tons of relief supplies sent by ACF from Madrid, Lyon, Dubai and Manila in Capiz and Tacloban.
We already have 15 counts of 30,000 chlorination kits, providing household water treatment to 4,000 families for one month. A total destruction of the water supply would have had far worse consequences. ACF also installed four water treatment plants.
For the first phase of the emergency, Action Against Hunger is deploying aid to about 400,000 people, worth about 13 million euros. We have secured 128 tonnes of humanitarian supplies. We have sent reinforcement of 30 people, in addition to the 100 already working on Action Against Hunger Philippines since 2000.
The fight is not over yet, and there is still much to be done.
Although the United Nations has appealed for 220 million euros, only 20% of the funds have been committed. ACF calls on the international community to respond quickly to the emergency.
You can take action today by donating to Action Against Hunger to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan. The Canadian government is matching all donations made by Canadians until December 9th. So double your impact and please give generously.
PS. To see a wrap up of our social media during Typhoon Haiyan, click here