US offers additional $3M in assistance to ‘Pablo’ victims

US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr.

MANILA, Philippines –The United States (US) is giving the Philippines an additional $3 million in assistance for relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Pablo, considered the worst storm to hit the country this year.

“2day US Govt. is providing additional $3 million to address Typhoon Pablo-related humanitarian needs incl support for shelter,logistics&food,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. said in his official twitter account Monday.

Thomas had also said in the same twitter account that the US would bring additional relief to flood victims in Mindanao, and that US marines and personnel from the US Agency for International Development (US AID) arrived in Davao on Sunday.

The US had offered $100,000 for disaster relief efforts to be coursed through the non-profit organization Catholic Relief Services.

The United Nations (UN), Canada, Australia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom (UK), and Israel had sent their messages of sympathies and respective donations to typhoon victims.

The death toll from Typhoon Pablo, which slammed Visayas and Mindanao early this week, had risen to more than 600 people and authorities fear that the numbers could reach up to 1,000. Search operations continued for the hundreds missing.

The Philippine government also noted that damages from the typhoon could amount to P4 billion, and that it had affected at least 5 million people.