Officials are now saying that as many as 10,000 people may have died in the storm. Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines has been dubbed the strongest storm on earth this year and is one of the top dozen of all storms ever seen on this planet. The 500-mile-wide typhoon (as large as the Philippines) was equivalent to a category 5 hurricane with winds around 190 mph.
Thousands of houses have been obliterated. Many areas are still cut off from communication, power and transportation. Hundreds of thousands of survivors are struggling to stay alive with lack of water, food, shelter and medicine. Many of the victims still lay lifeless on the streets, which will cause even worse health conditions if nothing is done. Garrett Ingoglia, AmeriCares Vice-President of Emergency Response talks about his assessment of the primary healthcare issues facing the survivors on USA Today, “One way to look at it is because of the storm, people are injured, they have abrasions, lacerations, and worse. Plus on top of it are all the people with chronic illnesses that they had before. But the supply of medical supplies has been drastically reduced. Medicines have been washed away. People’s personal supply of medicines from health facilities are gone. Many health facilities have been destroyed entirely. So you’ve got spiking demand because of the disaster and a vastly reduced supply of all types of medicines to treat people. In some places it’s desperate. Having a team on the ground assessing the needs is the quickest way to speed relief to survivors.”
(Photo Credit: REUTERS/Zander Casas)
They need international help now! So we ask you to please help us send our support in donations through AmeriCares, a foundation that works tirelessly to help survivors. AmeriCares has already arranged for an initial emergency shipment of medicines and aid for 20,000 survivors, and their emergency response staff members will soon arrive in the Philippines to assess needs and speed the delivery of additional aid.
William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty is committed to supporting AmeriCares as they work to spread their relief efforts worldwide, especially in times of need such as in the case of Super Typhoon Haiyan. In the wake of this tragic destruction in the Philippines, the company will be matching donations to support disaster recovery and medical relief dollar for dollar for a total contribution up to $15,000.
Your gift now will help to ensure that AmeriCares has the resources required to respond effectively and quickly to Typhoon Haiyan. Please donate now to deliver lifesaving aid to families suffering as a result of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Together, we can make a difference worldwide! Click here to donate.
*News from CNN Monday 11/11/13 (http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/11/world/asia/typhoon-haiyan/)