Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sen. Richard Gordon has reached out to foreign organizations for more support to fund PRC's relief operations for Typhoon Odette victims, the organization said on Friday, Jan. 14.
PRC said that Gordon held a meeting with foreign embassies, foreign Red Cross societies, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with the PRC Board of Governors in attendance.
There, PRC said that Gordon expounded on the current situation on the ground as he detailed his recent visit to the areas ravaged by the typhoon where personally assessed the damage it brought.
He also laid out the current activities of the Red Cross per province by priority based on the extent of the damage. PRC said that it aims to deliver not only urgent relief but long term recovery efforts for each province.
Weeks after Typhoon Odette devastated Visayas and Mindanao, the PRC pressed on with its relief efforts. With over 7 million affected individuals, Gordon said that Typhoon Odette should not be forgotten as more help is needed to restore the lifelines in the affected provinces.
During the meeting, he described the aftermath of "Odette" as "a slow, simpering, difficult challenge that will go on for the next several months."
For its part, PRC said that has provided 76,748 hot meals, 3,728 food packs, over 3 million liters of clean and potable water, P3,500 cash assistance to 1,173 families, temporary shelter to 2,547 families, psychosocial support to 10,643 individuals, and hygiene promotion for 52,596 individuals, among others.
"The Red Cross is everywhere. Days before the typhoon made landfall, we were already preparing our response, evacuations centers, and assets. We are the first to respond, we are always ready with our assets, and we are there in every affected province," Gordon said.
"Every bit helps, and hopefully we can come out as successfully. as we did for the Haiyan relief efforts. The integrity of the PRC is without question as all our funds are meticulously accounted for at all time," he added.