We are expanding the Philippines relief team

Estimated number of people who lost their homes or had to leave them was increased from 900 thousand to 1.9 million in only one day. The Philippines ministry of social affairs also raised estimated total number of typhoon affected people by two million on Friday. There are currently 12.9 million of them. According to the ministry, the cyclone destroyed 285,993 dwellings, and considering only Leyte and Samar islands, it leveled 1,948 schools and 1,600 kindergartens which prevents 638 thousand children from going on with their education.

People live on in ruins of their homes

"Whole villages turned into piles of debris among which people are trying to restore new livelihoods. They live on in the open at fragments of their houses, they have no electricity, desperately lack clean water and food, their beloved island became a prison," says Petr Štefan who helped to distribute food aid to families on Bantayan island on Friday. But the scale of damage varies at different places according to him. "For instance, the situation in the island's capital is stabilized. Although there are fallen power lines and destroyed houses, shops are already open. But I drove through villages where only church stands, with roof torn off, and everything else is leveled with the ground. And the villagers walk among it, actually having nowhere to go to, and live on in ruins of their homes," Petr Štefan describes situation on the island where currently not even one school works, and 40 thousand inhabitants must survive with only one overcrowded health centre.

The poorest ones are the worst off because the cyclone destroyed their means of livelihood. It sank or damaged fishermen's boats and harmed crops of farmers. Moreover, help is only very slowly getting to the island. "Church societies, non-governmental organizations and a couple of local companies bring it. But everybody complains that there is no help from the government," Štefan explains.

Exactly Bantayan island will become, together with the Northern point of Cebu island, one of the destinations of People in Need's aid. Next investigation will probably take place on its neighbouring Leyte island. As a reaction to the disaster, a three-men coordination relief team will expand by another two members. They will arrive to the islands during Monday and Tuesday.

Current state of the SOS Philippines acount

There were 8.25 million CZK on the SOS Philippines charity account by Friday. Vodafone Foundation promised to contribute a lump sum of 500,000 CZK to the fundraising campaign and to double the income from DMS sent by Vodafone customers. Avast Foundation promised another contribution worth half a million CZK. Prague city hall decided to contribute 1 million CZK. People in Need also released 500,000 CZK for aid to the victims of the typhoon from the People in Need Club of Friends relief fund immediately after the announcement of the fundraising campaign.

For more information, please contact:

Petr Štefan (Philippines), PIN media coordinator: +639082365239, petr.stefan@clovekvtisni.cz
Marek Štys (Czech Republic), PIN Relief Programmes Manager: +420 777 053 522, Marek.Stys@clovekvtisni.cz