Return to listing
Critically needed Medicines and Supplies on the Way
STAMFORD, CONN., October 2, 2009 – As the Philippines braces for a second, deadly typhoon, AmeriCares is sending emergency shipments of medical aid and hygiene products to the battered country.
Typhoon Parma – classified as a “super typhoon” because of its fierce winds – is expected to make landfall tomorrow while the country is still recovering from severe flooding and mudslides from Typhoon Ketsana only days ago.
The emergency shipment contains $200,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies, including antibiotics and topical solutions that fight infections and treat waterborne diseases spread by floodwaters. AmeriCares also will deliver 1,000 hygiene kits to survivors in coming days. Relief workers are already distributing water purification treatments donated by AmeriCares – enough to provide survivors with 1.2 million gallons of clean water. The most recent shipments are in addition to $3.2 million worth of medical aid AmeriCares sent previously.
At the same time, AmeriCares emergency response experts are aiding earthquake survivors in Indonesia, where more than 500 have perished and thousands more are trapped in the rubble and power outages have hampered relief efforts. Several hospitals sustained severe damage; two have collapsed completely.
AmeriCares is delivering critical antibiotics, pain medicines and pediatric fever reducers to doctors providing medical care for survivors. An AmeriCares relief expert is on the ground and working with hospital officials to assess the needs.
“Countless survivors cannot be reached due to landslides and damage to roads and bridges,” reports Puji Sutrisno, AmeriCares Emergency Response Manager in Indonesia. “Heavy rains are hampering the relief efforts and creating great misery for the survivors. We desperately need help, especially medical supplies to help treat the growing number of people who have been injured in the earthquakes.” AmeriCares is actively coordinating relief efforts in Indonesia with the Ministry of Health, the Emergency Crisis Center and local partners in the capital city of Jakarta. AmeriCares is also working with international groups and multinational donors, many of which teamed up during the massive global response to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which killed 180,000 people in Indonesia alone.***About AmeriCares:AmeriCares is a nonprofit international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $9 billion in humanitarian aid to 137 countries. For more information, log onto www.AmeriCares.org