on 6 Jan 2022
Super Typhoon Rai was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines last year, and the death toll now stands at over 400
YachtAid Global has launched ‘Operation Pearl’ to provide emergency disaster relief to the Philippines in the wake of the devastating super Typhoon Odette/Rai, which struck the island nation on Thursday 16 December, packing winds of over 260 kilometres per hour and causing mass destruction, flooding and casualties across the archipelago. The death toll currently stands at 407 and is still rising.¬†
YachtAid Global has been working with registered NGO partners on the ground in the Philippines executing needs assessment and logistics planning for the rapid distribution of critical life-saving supplies including but not limited to water depot filtration systems and filters, hygiene kits, health and nutrition packs and emergency shelter supplies.
Devastating images of catastrophic damage from the heavy rains, wind, flooding and landslides, in the hardest-hit areas of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Island, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Palawan, show decimated communities, flattened verdant and agricultural areas, damaged airports, hospitals and clinics, destroyed seaports, vessels and coastal communities, blocked roads and bridges and the utter elimination of access to basic life necessities including power, water, and communications.
Over two million lives are believed to be severely affected, hundreds of thousands have been left homeless, the death toll has risen to close to 400 lives and outbreaks of water-borne diseases due to the lack of clean water for drinking and sanitization is being reported across the islands. Amid the devastation is the ongoing attempt to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.
READ: Cyclone-ravaged Vanuatu Gets Help From YachtAid Global
The Philippines is ranked as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the impacts of the climate crisis getting hit by an average of 20 cyclones each year. Super Typhoon Odette/Rai is one of the strongest to hit the nation in recent years.
The link to the secure payment gateway to support Operation Pearl is at:
www.yachtaidglobal.org/campaigns/operation-pearl-disaster-relief-for-the-philippines