Philippines Typhoon Hagupit/Ruby Response

ERDO has again partnered with PAOC Global Worker, Marilyn Curtis to bring relief supplies to families and individuals affected by the December 6th Typhoon Hagupit/Ruby.

Typhoon Ruby, as is called locally, made first landfall over Eastern Samar with a maximum strength of 175 kph windspeed near the center and gusts of up to 210 kph. On December 10th, Ruby exited the Philippines as a tropical storm. 

While the losses are nowhere near those of Typhoon Haiyan of November 2013, this typhoon caused the destruction or partial destruction of homes and forced people to evacuate. 

The Republic of the Philippines through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that a total of 659,446 families (2,779,248 persons) were affected.

Through Marilyn Curtis and church partners, ERDO assisted 2,500 affected families in Eastern Sumar with essential items such as rice, canned goods, noodles, sardines and other food items, medicines, blankets, personal care and toiletry packs. $25,000 in relief supplies were provided thanks to generous donations from churches and individuals.

ERDO depends on support from people like you to assist as disasters strike. Many of these are so small that they don't show up in media reports, and yet, people suffer.   Please make a donation to our general crisis response fund so that we will have available funding when large and small scale crises arise. Click the donate now button to make your gift today. Thank you.

 

 

ERDO's Typhoon Haiyan Response - November 2013

ERDO's work in the Philippines is still active and is transitioning from emergency response to a rehabilitation phase.

Our initial response brought food relief and emergency supplies to children and their families. We were so grateful that the donations received in November and December allowed us to partner with Global Workers and other trusted partners to achieve these results: 

• Delivering emergency relief to 3,000 families (approximately 12,000 individuals) working through Philippine-based PAOC Global Workers and local churches in Kalibo, Aklan.  This is a location which the eye of the storm swept through and where 10,800 families have lost their homes.  The emergency kits provided food (including rice, fish, nutritional cereals and high protein biscuits), candles, matches and basic medicine. Local Assemblies of God churches and volunteers packed the food and assisted in the distribution.  This distribution began November 19^th and completed on the 21st

• Partnering with Convoy of Hope, donations to ERDO enabled the distribution of one million pre-packaged rice-based meals which our partner distributed from November through January.  The first shipment arrived to the port in Manila on November 22nd and the second on December 5th.  Two additional shipments took place in January with one of the second shipments also containing bed cots and hygiene items. Convoy of Hope is a trusted US-based partner we worked alongside during the 2011 Japan earthquake.

We're now in the phase of helping damaged communities to recover.  Here are some of the rehabilitation projects we are doing in this second phase of restoring people's lives:

• In Dulag we are working in up to five "barangays" (communities set up by local government) in the areas of permanent housing and rehabilitating some of the daycare facilities.  We also will assist individuals with replacing tools and seeds so they can grow and harvest their own food. This work will be done in collaboration with one of our fellow Canadian Foodgrains Bank member agencies, World Renew. 
• In Panay Island, we are partnering with the Assemblies of God Philippines and Convoy of Hope. There the damage is so profound we are still helping with food distribution. These communities near Roxas City are coastal villages. Many, if not most of the families who relied on fishing for their income lost their boats and fishing equipment. Together with AoG we are assisting in the building of boats and replacing of lost nets.
• In Aklan province on Panay Island, we will work with the same team of churches who distributed relief goods in the first days of our emergency response. Over the next 3 months we will be working with the churches to follow-up and assist in livelihood support as directed by the community and church leaders. This church co-operation has already created a strong sense of churches of working together in a positive way to model Christ's compassion.
  
• ERDO partnered with other members of the Canadian Churches in Action (CCA) to begin an agricultural recovery program.  Together, we have delivered rice, corn and vegetable seed to restart agriculture and livelihoods in Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Samar and Leyte.

 Your donation today will help increase our rehabilitation program work with these partners.  David Adcock, who travelled throughout the Philippines in January stated that some of the areas he saw were completely reduced to rubble, and yet people had to fashion make-shift shelters to survive.  Your gift today will continue the good things ERDO is doing with our partners.  Thank you for your generous response.

 

CLICK HERE to see a short video on our food distribution in Aklan

Click here to watch the November 15th video message from David Adcock, ERDO CEO

Initial Response Backgrounder:

On November 8^th, typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines.  Almost 4,000 people have died and there is mass destruction to homes, businesses and infrastructure. Survivors are still in need of food and medical care.   ERDO began a food distribution in Aklan on November 19^th.

Alkan is an area 500 km west of Tacloban and was in the eye of the storm as it travelled westward. Some 10,800 families have lost their homes.

Linda Veldhuizen, who directs Noah’s Ark Children’s Home in Banaue and has been living and working in the Philippines for over 20 years led the initial relief effort on ERDO’s behalf.  Assisting was Newfoundland native Marilyn Curtis who leads Andrew’s Children’s Ministry in Manila.  This team was joined by PAOC Pastor Jerry Berenguer. In advance of the relief team, the Assemblies of God Pastor located in Kalibo and a team of volunteers identified community families in need of emergency kits.

On November 22^nd, ERDO committed to a crisis response program with Convoy of Hope to ship and deliver emergency food.