World Vision responding as second devastating typhoon hits the Philippines

Manila (October 1, 2011) — World Vision is responding to two typhoons which have affected several hundred thousand families this week in the Philippines. As more than 2 million people in Manila and other regions struggle to recover from Typhoon Nesat, Typhoon Nalgae is expected to affect another 1 million people.

Aid workers were forced to postpone some relief distributions to Nesat survivors as the relief agency scrambled to respond to Nalgae’s onslaught yesterday.

“We have prepositioned initial food and non-food items like blankets, mats, hygiene kits among others for thousands of people,” said Bebeth Tiu, World Vision’s humanitarian and emergency affairs director in the Philippines.

World Vision sent an emergency team to Bulacan province today to distribute initial relief goods to 2,500 people and conduct a rapid assessment on what survivors need most. Most areas in Bulacan province are still submerged in water.

Two other teams are on standby and can be immediately deployed to three provinces that are currently suffering the onslaught of Nalgae, Tiu said.

Earlier this week, World Vision’s teams in local communities warned residents in the path of Nalgae about the approaching typhoon and how they should prepare. World Vision works with more than 10,000 children and their families in the areas of Bulacan, Isabela and Cagayan provinces, some of the same areas that suffered the brunt of Nesat earlier this week.

Meanwhile, World Vision is focusing its Typhoon Nesat response in the urban communities of Malabon and Baseco in Manila, as well as three communities in the northern Isabela and Zambales provinces — hard-hit areas where it has staff and ongoing programs.

World Vision will distribute vouchers, which flood-affected families can use to buy needed items. The agency is also providing emergency supplies directly to families affected by Nesat, and distributing school supplies to over 3,000 school children in Manila.

In Isabela province, World Vision will also distribute rice and corn seeds to more than 2,000 families, while in Zambales, food items were given to hundreds of families in 12 villages to complement the relief goods provided by the local government. Electricity is not yet fully restored and floodwaters have not yet subsided in some areas.

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