Foreign agencies and embassies announced humanitarian aid through monetary and food packs to communities affected by Super Typhoon “Egay“ (international name Doksuri) which battered Northern Luzon after it made landfall early last week.
Super Typhoon "Egay" triggers a landslide in Baguio City. (File Photo/MANILA BULLETIN)
In a Twitter post, European Union (EU) to the Philippines Ambassador Luc Veron said the EU donated €500,000 (P30.3 million) worth of humanitarian assistance to the affected families and communities in Northern Luzon.
“The EU expresses its swift and unwavering support to the Filipino people during the aftermath of typhoon Doksuri, which resulted in extensive devastation and tragic loss of lives in the Philippines,” EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said in a statement.
“Without delay, we have initiated emergency relief efforts in close collaboration with our humanitarian partners to aid those affected during this challenging period. These efforts will complement and be done in coordination with ongoing national and local relief efforts,” he added.
According to the statement, the funding will be used to provide life-saving assistance, including emergency shelter and shelter repair, clean water, and sanitation, to those most affected by the disaster.
The assistance will go to the most affected areas in Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The EU said that its humanitarian partners are already assessing the needs needed on the ground, and has already provided initial assistance.
“The funding announced today by the European Union will enable these partners to significantly step up their assistance to the affected populations,” its statement read.
Since 1996, the EU has provided €158 million in humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness funding to the Philippines.
The United States Embassy in Manila also announced its humanitarian work for the victims of Typhoon Egay through its development aid arm, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partner World Food Programme (WFP).
(Photo from the US Embassy in the Philippines via Facebook)
The agency sent 11,000 family food packs to Isabela and Cagayan provinces with help from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“Through existing USAID disaster preparedness funding, WFP mobilized seven trucks to support thousands of families impacted by the typhoon,” the embassy said, using hashtags #FriendsPartnersAllies and #SaferTogetherUSP.
It added that the US Marine Corps “is working hand-in-hand with the (Philippine) government to offload and deliver emergency supplies” to those affected by the typhoon.
Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian also sent relief efforts to Northern Philippines.
(Photo from the Chinese Embassy in Mania/Facebook)
“Relief efforts by Chinese Embassy in Manila together with Chinese Consulate in Laoag continue! 6000 food bags are on the way to provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan and La Union,” he wrote in his social media pages.
Reports of damage to agriculture already amounted to P832.8 million, while infrastructure damages are valued at P1.2 billion.
As of July 28, the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that 502,782 people have been affected.
Of this, 42,831 individuals were displaced and seeking shelter, while 479 active evacuation centers.
As of this posting, the official death toll was at 16, with 52 hurt and 20 others remained missing.