A HUMANITARIAN caravan loaded with assets, equipment and emergency relief items was sent by the Philippine Red Cross to Isabela and Cagayan to bring emergency aid to communities affected by Super Typhoon “Lawin.”
The caravan was composed of a rescue van, Doosan wheel loader, dump truck, 6×6 multi-role truck, a 4,000-liter fuel tanker and a 10,000-liter water tanker, Hot Meals on wheels van, rescue van, 2 Humvees, two ambulance units and two 10-wheeler trucks loaded with emergency relief items like sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, tarpaulins, jerry cans and hygiene kits good for 1,500 families, as well as clothing, shoes and ready-to-eat meals..
A total 1,141 Corrugated Galvanized Iron sheets and other shelter repair materials were also loaded in the caravan for distribution to families whose roofs were blown off by “Lawin.“
Initial assessments by PRC teams estimated that in affected areas, particularly in Cagayan and Isabela, 80 percent of houses and community infrastructures had roofs blown off.
“There have been three devastating typhoons [Meranti, Sarika and Haima] that have struck Northern Luzon one after the other,” said PRC chairman Richard Gordon.
He added: “Mercifully, the effects of the typhoons were not as severe as [those of] Haiyan [Yolanda in 2013]. We have averted a humanitarian crisis, but it is still a humanitarian challenge nonetheless. We need to give priority to those who have lost their homes, livelihoods, and stocks.”
PRC staff and volunteers, with personnel from the county delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), have been deployed in some of the affected areas like Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Abra and Isabela.
Gordon said: “Our volunteers and staff in the affected areas have been activated for monitoring and assessment of the situation and the needs of the affected population.
“We are constantly communicating with our teams on the ground in order for us to assess which areas need aid the most and for us to provide the assistance that the affected population needs.”
Aside from monitoring and assessment, PRC rescuers and emergency responders have conducted rescue operations amid Lawin’s wrath.
Based from initial ground reports from PRC teams, Red Cross staff and volunteers have rescued 82 individuals (28 in Isabela, 3 in Ilocos Sur and 51 in Mt. Province) from flooded homes and areas.
PRC’s welfare teams have also established welfare desks in Cagayan and Nueva Ecija and have provided hot meals to families in evacuation centers in Cagayan and Mt. Province.
PRC’s Operation Center reported almost 3,000 people have been provided assistance by the PRC through search and rescue, distribution of hot meals and biscuits, blankets, welfare services like psychosocial report and referral, and hygiene promotion activities.
Gordon said: “Although the general damage caused by Lawin is yet to be assessed and reported, we are already anticipating massive damage in the affected areas.
“Humanitarian aid is needed now more than ever and it needs to be delivered in the fastest possible time to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable and affected population. We at the Red Cross cannot do it alone.”