No one can fail to have been moved by the utter devastation that has hit the Philippines. Flattened cities, parents cradling the bodies of their children, survivors’ reports of loved ones washed away from their grasp – our natural human response is empathy. The people who survive devastating events such as typhoon Haiyan need assistance. Relief agencies that provide it deserve public support.
Typhoon Haiyan affected a total of 9.5 million people across the Philippines — and displaced at least 600,000 — when it slammed into the country on Friday 8th, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Survivors were described as being in desperate need of clean drinking water and food.
Haiyan is estimated to have destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of structures in its path as it tore into the coastal provinces of Leyte and Samar.
The United States said it is fully committed to helping the Philippines recover, and is providing $20 million in immediate aid, but the need is massive.
There are many organizations deploying urgent relief efforts to the Typhoon Haiyan survivors, search online to see how you can help.