Millions of Filipinos are struggling to recover in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst natural disasters to hit their country in years. Oxfam is racing to help meet the needs of 500,000 people.
Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Yolanda, is the strongest storm in the world this year and quite possibly the most powerful to ever hit land. Oxfam aid teams are on the ground in the Philippines and reporting urgent needs of food, clean water, medicine and shelter. Communication lines between some provinces are cut and many areas are experiencing total black outs. Thousands are feared dead, and local emergency food stocks are dwindling.
Oxfam teams are assessing the extent of the damage now and are ready to deploy water and sanitation materials to those affected. We urgently need your help to scale up our response.
"These disasters compound the burden of Philippines' poorest people. Small scale farmers and those relying on fishing to make a living will be hardest hit. Their fields and their boats and tackle will be badly damaged and they will need help not only today but in months to come." says Oxfam's Marie Madamba-Nunez. It is critical that these communites are rebuilt and have the opportunity to build back and become more resilient.
