The effects of Super Typhoon Yolanda will forever be remembered by Filipinos as it destroyed many lives, homes, and subsistence of thousands of families in the Visayas ravaging the provinces of Leyte, Eastern Samar, Western Samar, Capiz, Cebu, Iloilo, and Aklan, and Palawan.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) recalled that its Chairman and CEO Senator Dick Gordon as early as Nov. 2, 2013, a few days before the storm hit on Nov. 8, quickly mobilized the PRC Chapters to plan, prepare, and predict for the catastrophe that lay ahead.
At its Operations Center, PRC said that Gordon communicated with all stakeholders to provide relief as the country braced itself for the calamity.
The said typhoon left 18 million individuals affected with 4 million displaced, 30,000 injured, and 6,300 who died. Up to now, PRC mentioned more than 1500 people are still counted among the missing and P1.1 billion worth of homes were destroyed and sources of livelihood were decimated.
PRC, led by Gordon said that they immediately led a humanitarian caravan of rescue equipment, ambulances, payloaders, water tankers, and transport vehicles carrying relief goods into the affected areas on November 11, and were met with death and destruction.
The senator then held an emergency meeting, according to PRC with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the partner national societies of Australia, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland, and quickly built a long-range plan to bring instant relief as well as sustained support. PRC said it was clear from the start that the populations affected by the cyclone would need years of rehabilitation to bring order into their lives.
They immediately administered first aid, and provided food, shelter, clothing, hygiene facilities, and psychosocial support for the affected individuals, PRC recalled. Hot meals, tents and emergency shelter repair kits, portalets and water, kitchen sets, sleeping sets, and clothes were distributed while Red Cross personnel went through the provinces providing mental health programs for those severely affected and reunited families who were lost in the storm.
Among others, the German Red Cross flew in relief items through Mactan Airport, the IFRC provided 230 thousand families with household items, the Chinese Red Cross helped the Philippine Red Cross build 166 classrooms in Leyte, and the Indonesian Red Cross provided a helicopter to transport airlift a patient from Tacloban to a Cebu health facility.
Immediate response entailed the distribution of food items close to 2 million individuals, almost 1.3 million individuals provided with household items, and more than 450 thousand people received cash assistance in the amount of over P281 million.
PRC said that Gordon continued to oversee the rehabilitation and construction of the area. Altogether, the ongoing efforts include 80,983 shelters repaired, 80,207 homes built, 63,604 household given livelihood assistance through cash grants, 16,000 given livelihood training, 160 groups given community-managed livelihood programs, 166 schools built and 536 classrooms repaired with 8,000 school kits distributed, and 94 health facilities repaired or reconstructed.
PRC added that a vocational training center was established in Leyte, a regional logistics and disaster management training center was built in Passi, Iloilo, a blood facility was provided in Bogo City, and several molecular labs were constructed throughout the affected provinces.
Ongoing are the construction of remaining houses and community facilities in Leyte, the establishment of water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in Capiz, the rehabilitation of Chapter buildings in Capiz and Passi, and the building of blood facilities in Ormoc and Tacloban.
“The resilience of the Filipino is unprecedented. Despite the death and devastation, we found deliverance. Rehabilitation and repair with the help of our Movement Partners has been successful. Disaster is not insurmountable with passion and commitment, both of which were provided by the Red Cross," Gordon said.
"We continue to support these communities even eight years after Yolanda hit these bucolic towns and cities. With focus, fast action, flexibility, friendliness, and being forward-looking, the Philippine Red Cross is poised to serve as it is always first, always ready, and always there,” he added.