Return to listing
Stamford, Conn. – Jan. 15, 2013 – AmeriCares relief workers are en route to the Philippines to assist the delivery of medical aid to typhoon survivors in the Mindanao region. More than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and more than 800 people are missing after Typhoon Bopha battered the southern region of the country with heavy rains and wind gusts up to 137 mph last month.
Within days of the storm, AmeriCares awarded a grant to the Asia America Initiative to provide food, blankets, soap, shampoo and other personal care items for 1,000 families. Two more AmeriCares aid shipments arrived last week, including an emergency delivery with enough basic medicines to provide three months of primary care for about 15,000 patients. Survivors have had difficulty accessing care since many of the health care facilities in the hardest hit regions were destroyed or severely damaged by the storm.
“Families are still in desperate need,” said AmeriCares Vice President of Emergency Response Garrett Ingoglia. “Nearly 1 million people remain displaced, with many living in dire conditions. Our aid is crucially needed and will assist the relief efforts in the most affected areas.”
AmeriCares has been aiding survivors of natural disasters, political conflict and extreme poverty around the world for 30 years, saving lives and restoring health and hope. Since 1985, AmeriCares has delivered $219 million in medicines, medical supplies and humanitarian aid to the Philippines, including aid for survivors of Typhoon Washi in 2011, back-to-back typhoons in the fall of 2009 and Typhoon Frank in 2008.