International aid agency CARE will distribute food packs to families hit by Typhoon Hagupit, as a clearer picture emerges of the extent of the damage.
Typhoon Hagupit, which made its first landfall on Saturday evening in Eastern Samar, made four other landfalls in several provinces in the Philippines, and saw a massive evacuation of around one million people across the country. CARE is now closely monitoring the storm as it moves further west towards Vietnam.
Alexandra Maclean, CARE’s Country Director in the Philippines said CARE and its partners will be distributing food packs containing rice and canned goods to nearly 3,000 of the hardest‐hit families in the Philippines provinces of Northern and Eastern Samar.
“While we are all thankful that early evacuations clearly saved many lives, Hagupit has still brought much rain, and sustained, powerful winds that have battered large parts of the country still reeling from last year’s Super Typhoon Haiyan,” said Ms Maclean.
“Our focus is now on providing emergency food and shelter to families hit hard by Hagupit, and we will be distributing food, shelter kits and supporting people with cash assistance to get back on their feet in the coming weeks.”
Rachid Boumnijel, CARE Philippines’ Livelihood Advisor, who is currently in Samar as part of CARE’s damage assessment team, said that while the damage caused by Hagupit was not on the scale of last year’s Super Typhoon Haiyan, many families’ livelihoods and income sources had been lost.
“This is already one of the poorest regions in the country, and it was hard hit by Super Typhoon Haiyan last year. It’s clear from what we’re seeing here in Samar that many people have lost their income, such as banana crops, in this typhoon. This storm will push many people further into poverty,” said Mr Boumnijel.
To support CARE’s response in the Philippines following Typhoon Hagupit, Australians can donate to CARE’s Global Emergency Fund (www.care.org.au/global‐emergency‐fund). A donation of $13 will provide a family with a food kit to support them for the coming weeks.
CARE has worked in the Philippines since 1949, providing emergency relief when disaster strikes and helping communities prepare for disasters. CARE's past responses in the Philippines have included Typhoon Ketsana (2009), Typhoon Bopha (2012) and Super Typhoon Haiyan (2013). Over the past 12 months since Haiyan, CARE and its partners in the Philippines have reached more than 318,000 people with life‐saving food, shelter support and financial assistance to rebuild their incomes.
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For interviews with CARE emergency staff, please contact CARE Australia Senior Media Officer Dylan Quinnell on 0412 449 691
