The Philippine Red Cross is extending assistance to communities severely affected by typhoon “Ulysses” in Cagayan and Isabela.

Under the leadership of chairman and chief executive officer Sen. Richard Gordon, PRC said that multiple response and relief efforts will be extended to the affected communities to help them recover as soon as possible.

“The Philippine Red Cross will pursue helping the affected until they get back on their feet,” Gordon said. “More help is definitely on the way,” he added.

Gordon, with the PRC rescue and relief teams, personally travels to the calamity-stricken to assess the damage and provide assistance for the vulnerable.

“Our response is always fast – for speed is the name of the game,” he said. “We rush and double our efforts after all disasters came one after another,” he added.

The PRC has resorted to multiple response and relief efforts in the aftermath of Ulysses. Its Disaster Management Services also augmented its operations by marshalling all the organization’s available services from rescue to response and relief to help Cagayan and Isabela residents who are in hazardous situations after the onslaught of Ulysses and release of water from dams.

The PRC had earlier deployed a humanitarian caravan to Cagayan and Isabela to intensify the rescue and relief efforts.

“Based on the initial assessment done by our volunteers and staff, this caravan, composed of rescue vehicles, equipment, relief items, and manpower, will strengthen our response to the on-going operations,” Gordon said.

The caravan consists of a 10,000-liter water tanker, a food truck, an ambulance, a rescue boat, a Land Cruiser for assessment, and two 10-wheel trucks for non-food items. Part of the caravan is 500 sets of sleeping kits, jerry cans, and hygiene tarpaulins for which benefits the stricken.

 PRC said that the caravan’s manpower consists of 17 persons, including a five-man water search and rescue team.