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SITUATION:
Typhoon Haiyan has killed as many as 10,000 people in the Philippines, with the devastation it caused being described as “absolute bedlam,” the BBC reported.
Hardest hit is the central Philippine city of Tacloban, which is said to be flattened and where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. The damage to airports and roads is hampering initial relief efforts, the BBC said.
While much focus has already been put on Tacloban, the BBC reported that cities and towns in other parts of the Philippines are also facing huge losses, with the city of Baco, in the Oriental Mindoro province, for example, largely under water, UN humanitarian workers are reporting.
Haiyan is now a tropical storm, having weakened as it made landfall near the Vietnam-China border.
CWS RESPONSE:
CWS will support early response and recovery efforts of fellow members of the ACT Alliance that have significant operations in the Philippines, including the United Methodist Committee on Relief, Lutheran World Relief, Christian Aid and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. Initial response activities will likely include material resource provision, emergency shelter items, drinking water and cash for work programs. In addition, CWS will provide technical support to members of the Asia Disaster Response and Recovery Network (ADRRN).
While the impact of the weakened typhoon in Vietnam is yet to be fully assessed, CWS will respond there with recovery support if it is needed.
