UK to donate £1 million to aid victims of Rolly in PH, flooding in Vietnam

Residents of Travesia village, Guinobatan town, Albay province, survey the devastation wrought by the typhoon, which sent lahar flowing and boulders cascading down the slope of Mt. Mayon that swept away and buried houses in their path. —MARK ALVIC ESPLANA

MANILA, Philippines — The United Kingdom has pledged a £1-million (approximately P62.84 million) donation to aid those affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni) in the Philippines and by the severe flooding in Vietnam.

According to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Minister for Asia Nigel Adams, UK’s donation will help provide food, clean water and shelter as well as support livelihoods around 80,000 people in the Philippines and 160,000 people in Vietnam.

“The typhoons that have hit the Philippines and Vietnam have had a devastating impact on lives and livelihoods across the region,” Adams said in a statement Tuesday.

“Today’s £1 million UK aid package will help to deliver life-saving food, clean water, and safe shelter to those who need it most and help both the Philippines and Vietnam recover from such destructive natural disasters,” he added.

The FCDO said UK’s donation will go to the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and will then be given to local Red Cross partners.

In the Philippines, FCDO noted that the IFRC, together with the government and other partners, “is currently assessing the damage caused by Typhoon Goni and which locations are in most urgent need of assistance.”

Aside from killing at least 20 people in the Bicol region, Typhoon Rolly, the world’s strongest storm this year, also damaged crops and infrastructure worth P6 billion.

/MUF