World Vision to launch Parma relief efforts tonight

• "We're not waiting for sunrise," says one World Vision aid worker
• Aid agency to begin distributing rice, additional food, candles in the next few hours

ISABELA PROVINCE, Philippines, October 3, 2009 —World Vision will begin relief operations this evening in Isabela Province, one of the areas wracked by Typhoon Parma.

“We are not waiting for sunrise,” says Fe Olonan, World Vision programme manager in Northern Luzon. “We will begin distributing rice and other food, as well as candles, in the next few hours.”

Some 200 families in Isabela had been evacuated Friday night in preparation of Typhoon Parma. The typhoon, however, changed its course and speed and made landfall in Cagayan Saturday around 3 pm (local time). Olonan said that much more assistance will be needed in Cagayan, a nearby province four hours’ drive from Isabela. World Vision staff have also reported that Cagayan's capital, Tuguegarao, is being hit hard by Parma’s severe winds, with gusts of 204 kilometers per hour (167 mph). Roofs are being blown off homes and other buildings.

“We also are worried about the flooding in low-lying areas alongside the Cagayan River,” she said from Isabela. "World Vision has pre-positioned 350 sacks of rice in Cagayan for possible relief distribution. Additional food items will be provided by the local government. However, as of this time, we have no means to say if the supplies are enough."

According to Olonan, it is currently impossible to assess the needs and extent of damage in Cagayan. "Assessments will be conducted as soon as the weather calms down.”

There are 10 coastal municipalities in Cagayan Province, which, as of 2007, had a population exceeding 10 million. World Vision is also concerned about the long-term recovery for survivors of Parma and Typhoon Ketsana, which slammed into the Island nation last Sunday. With extensive crop damage on farms, many livelihoods will be lost for several months and food will be at a premium. In Manila, survivors of Typhoon Ketsana said the cost of some food had doubled. Six days after Ketsana struck, some communities around Manila remain submerged in waist-deep water. Moreover, the presence of stagnant water raises concerns about waterborne diseases.

World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. We serve the world’s poor — regardless of a person’s religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org/press.