Typhoon Haiyan hit Central Philippines on November 8, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced and without food, water, shelter, and electricity. The government confirmed today that 2,275 have died. This number is expected to rise to at least 10,000 as more remote areas are accessed. With the full scale of the devastation gradually coming to light, the Philippine government and the international community are scrambling to meet the humanitarian needs on the ground. Asia Pacific Alliance members are also preparing to launch an emergency response with our Philippine-based member Citizens’ Disaster Response Center (CDRC).

Korean Disaster Relief Association (KDRA) will be sending an advance contingent to arrive in Manila on November 14^th and come up with a concrete plan for emergency response together with CDRC staff. KDRA plans to implement relief distribution in Central Philippines with a budget of 50,000 US Dollars.

Tokyo-based Civic Force will also be dispatching staff to Manila from Friday, November 15^th, to start its emergency relief operations with CDRC. The project is budgeted at 100,000 US Dollars and will be implemented for one month. Civic Force and CDRC will distribute relief packs in Leyte province, one of the hardest hit areas. Each pack will contain food, hygiene products, sleeping mat, blanket, and medicine good for a 6-person family for one week. 960 emergency tents will also be distributed to those who have lost their homes.

Indonesia’s PLANAS have already sent a representative to Cebu, who will be coordinating with CDRC to gather more information on the ground.

The APADM secretariat will continue to share information with its members and encourage appropriate action based on the actual needs in the affected areas.

Your support can help save lives in crisis. For ways on how to donate to APADM, please refer to our emergency appeal: ?http://apadm.org/archives/emergency/emergency-response-for-typhoon-haiyan-victims