Super Typhoon Rai/Odette devastated the central provinces of the Philippines between December 16 and 18, 2021 with winds up to 160 miles per hour. Close to 2 million people were affected, with 630,000 people made homeless, including approximately 300,000 infants and children. There is an urgent need for food, clean water, medicine, and basic hygiene supplies. Asia America Initiative and our local partners have begun a relief distribution program to assist at least 500 families or 2000 persons.
Super Typhoon Rai/Odette is the most devastating of 15 major storm systems that battered the Philippines in 2021. The typhoon destroyed more than 20,000 homes across the coastal regions of Visayas and the northern areas of Mindanao, including 63 cities and countless small towns and villages, rendering more than 630,000 people homeless and temporary shelters over-crowded with limited food, water, and hygiene supplies. We are immediately providing canned fish, sacks of rice, and soap products.
Disaster relief requires a team effort by international, national, and local agencies and volunteers. In affected areas, more than 90 percent of electricity, telecommunications, and roads are damaged. We are taking responsibility to assist at least 2,000 persons in the southern Visayas and the northern coastal areas of Mindanao who have been battered by the storm. We are purchasing canned fish, sacks of rice, and soap products to distribute in remote communities that are difficult to reach.
Our long-term goal is the self-sufficiency of storm survivors across the region. Our immediate goal is to assist 2,000 additional disaster victims. The immediate impact is to keep people alive, healthy, and in a positive frame of mind enthusiastic about building a better future. The long-term effect is to have a role in addressing the medical and social systems of impacted communities. Our strength is in our multiple partnerships with local, national, and international organizations.
