Gov’ts, groups pledge millions for typhoon relief

Tacloban City is reduced to vast wasteland after the onslaught of super typhoon “Yolanda.” Video by INQUIRER.net’s Ryan Leagogo

Foreign governments and agencies have announced a major relief effort to help victims of the Philippine typhoon. Here are some of the pledges they have made:

UNITED NATIONS

U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has released $25 million from the U.N.’s emergency relief fund to provide emergency food assistance, supply emergency shelter materials and household items, assist with the provision of emergency health services, safe water supplies and sanitation facilities. The funding will also be used for critical protection, nutrition and emergency activities, the U.N. humanitarian office said.

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UNITED STATES

The United States has pledged $20 million in immediate aid and has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the sail to the Philippines to provide assistance in the wake of the typhoon. It was expected to arrive in about two days. Officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development are deployed around the country to monitor the damage.

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BRITAIN

The United Kingdom is deploying a Royal Navy warship and donating a total of 10 million pounds’ (roughly $16 million) worth of humanitarian assistance in aid of the victims of the typhoon, British Prime Minister David Cameron said.

Britain will also deploy Royal Air Force military transport aircraft in aid of recovery efforts, earmarking at least one C-17 cargo plane to move humanitarian aid and large equipment.

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AUSTRALIA

Australia announced assistance of 10 million Australian dollars ($9.4 million). That includes the deployment of an emergency medical team, aid to the U.N. Flash Appeal and aid to Australian non-governmental organizations for immediate life-saving assistance.

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UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAM

The United Nations World Food Program said it has allocated $2 million for the disaster response and officials joined an assessment mission to survey damage in Leyte and Samar provinces.

WFP said it will send more than 40 tons of high energy biscuits and work with the Filipino government to help with logistics and emergency communications systems. It asks for donations at www.wfpusa.org.

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UNICEF

UNICEF said its staff in the Philippines is being repositioned to help in relief efforts and 66 tons of emergency supplies are being sent from Copenhagen. An airlift set to arrive on Tuesday will include water purification systems, storage equipment and sanitation supplies. Donations can be made to UNICEF at unicef.org/support.

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JAPAN

Japan will donate $10 million to the Philippines and has sent a 25-member relief team of mostly medical staff.

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CANADA

Canada has promised to donate up to $5 million in support of humanitarian organizations helping typhoon victims. In addition, the government pledged to match every dollar donated by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities for typhoon relief.

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CHINA

China said it was pledging an initial $200,000, including $100,000 from the government and another $100,000 from the Chinese Red Cross while assessing what the full needs would be.

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TAIWAN

Taiwan said it will send $200,000 in aid to help with relief efforts.

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HSBC

HSBC Group is donating over $1 million toward victims of the typhoon and is activating a bank-wide drive to raise funds from its employees globally.

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ISRAEL

Israel plans to set up a field hospital near the disaster area that is likely to focus on trauma care. Israel has sent a team of six medical and logistics experts to study the best location to erect it.

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RED CROSS

The American Red Cross said it has deployed two people to assist with assessments in the Philippines and activated its family tracing services. It asked those who want to support relief efforts to mail a check to their local Red Cross chapter, with “Philippines Typhoons and Flood” in the memo line.

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WORLD VISION

World Vision said it is putting together resources to assist 1.2 million people, including food, hygiene kits, emergency shelter and protection. It asked for one-time donations to be made at worldvision.org.

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AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has begun collecting donations for relief efforts. To contribute, go to www.jdc.org.

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MERCY CORPS

Mercy Corps said it has launched emergency response efforts to provide food, water, shelter and basic supplies to typhoon survivors. To contribute, go to www.mercycorps.org/typhoon.

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AMERICARES

AmeriCares is preparing to deploy an emergency response team to the Philippines. To donate go to https://americares.org.

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INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE

The International Rescue Committee has dispatched an emergency team to Manila and launched a $10 million appeal. The IRC will work to determine which of its areas of expertise — from water and sanitation to education — are most needed.

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DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS

Doctors Without Borders said it has 15 members in Cebu city and will send an additional 50 people in the next few days. It said it also is sending 329 tons of medical and relief supplies on three cargo planes. To donate, go to www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate .

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LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF

Lutheran World Relief said it has deployed its local staff to stricken areas and is appealing for $2.5 million to aid its recovery effort. To donate, go to https://lwr.org/donate/

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AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE

American Jewish World Service is collecting money to provide directly to local groups in the Philippines. To donate, go to https://www.ajws.org.

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TAGS: Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Doctors Without Borders, Israel, Japan, relief goods, Typhoon, Typhoon “Yolanda”, Typhoon Haiyan, Unicef, United Nations, United Nations World Food Program, United States, World Vision