Salvation Army Continues Philippines Typhoon Relief
While South Asia continues to be the focus of most relief agencies, the Salvation Army has been extending its reach to the Philippines, where typhoons and tropical storms devastated four regions in the Island nation in recent weeks.
“The Salvation Army Philippines Territory through the Central Philippines Division continue to provide relief operations in the different areas most affected by the typhoon by providing food parcels containing rice, canned goods, sardines, biscuits, coffee, used clothings, sugar, oil, pails and basins for washing,” an SA press release stated on January 26. “Counseling was also part of the ministry done during the relief distribution.”
The typhoons, named “unding,” “violeta” and “Yoyong,” and the tropical storm “Winnie”, hit parts of the Philippines late last year, leaving behind huge losses to lives, crops, livestock and properties.
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According to estimates by the nation’s department of social welfare and development, the government needs to spend some 1.2billion Philippine Pesos (2.2 million US dollars) for the recovery.
Salvation Army officials visiting the destruction sites explained that while the worst is over, the ravages of the disaster are still visible.
The following is the eye-witness listing of areas visited by SA staff since December 26:
1. Calumpit, Bulacan- It took 4 hours of travel from Metro Manila. The team was able to meet with the Municipal Mayor and the Social Worker. On their way to Sta. Lucia, they traveled on flooded roads and they have witnessed the rich and fertile rice fields that now looks like a sea. A total of 393 families were served.
2. Bongabong, Palayan City- Five hours of travel from Metro Manila. 400 families were catered with food supplies.
3. Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija- Along the way going to Gabaldon, you can see road erosion, scattered timbers and logs. The Municipal Capitol was also surrounded with bulk of cut slabs/ timber washed away by the flashfloods from the mountain. A total of 300 families were catered. During the visit, there are still areas flooded with water and land erosion.
4. Infanta and General Nakar- These are the areas most affected in Quezon where it took weeks before land transport is accessible. The team can’t avoid shedding their tears with the hopeless situation they have seen in Infanta and General Nakar where almost all houses were covered with mud and logs. There are still areas where the roads are still to be cleared with mud to facilitate land transport in the area. Bridges that were cut off and collapsed are still for rehabilitation and reconstruction. With the joint effort of the government and some agencies, the victims were able to get food parcels to support their daily needs considering that their means of livelihood like farming and fishing were also affected. The team from the Salvation Army were able to cater 500 families in these two areas where seldom they had received food rations from other sources. They were so grateful for the presence of The Salvation Army, for the support, care and assurance shared to them even for the short time they were with them.
5. Isabela- The Corps Officers in this area facilitated distribution of relief goods to the affected families immediately after the typhoon with a total number of 305 families served. In Villaros, 65 families received galvanized iron, nails and kugon to build their houses that were completely and partially damaged. Twenty-six farmers in Bella Luz whose cornfields were severely damaged were given 10 bags of corn seeds and 20 bags of fertilizer. In Tumauini, Isabela, where almost all houses in one village was washed with flashfloods and their fields were underwater for several days, 3000 bags of fertilizers were distributed among 1000 farmers while the government provided seeds. The newly elected lady Governor was very grateful for the support being given by the Salvation Army to help the people in the community recover from the unexpected tragedy.
