Disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, has provided emergency shelter to more than 5,000 people after the most severe storm to hit the Philippines in 2021 swept the country last month.
A ShelterBox team in the Philippines has been distributing shelter kits and other essential items the charity had stored locally, like tarpaulins and water filters, to people whose homes have been destroyed by Typhoon Rai.
The typhoon, which was the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane, caused widespread destruction affecting almost 7 million people and in areas where many families were already living below the poverty line.
More than 800,000 homes are known to have been damaged or destroyed since the typhoon made landfall on December 16. The Cornwall-based charity has already supported 1,000 households (5,000 people) and, with its fundraising appeal, hopes to help more than 8,000 more households whose homes have been destroyed.
With the country’s infrastructure devastated and power, fuel and vehicle shortages making communication and travel around the country difficult, the ShelterBox team is overcoming challenges to deliver aid where it’s needed.
ShelterBox Chief Executive, Sanj Srikanthan said: “As communication lines are restored, we’re learning of the devastating scale of damage to homes and livelihoods – and this against the backdrop of coronavirus in a country still recovering and rebuilding from previous disasters.
“Our team on the ground has been working hard distributing emergency shelter aid and other essential items like water filters to help people left homeless in the typhoon’s wake.
“We have already been able to help more than 5,000 people and we are sending more aid. But we need to do more to help as many people as we can, which is why we launched our Typhoon Rai Appeal. Please visit the ShelterBox website to find out how you can donate to support people in the Philippines.”
ShelterBox has supported people many times in the Philippines – one of the world’s most disaster-affected countries. Since 2004, the charity has responded, on average, nearly twice a year.
To find out more about the relief effort and how ShelterBox’s Typhoon Rai Appeal is helping people who haven’t been able to return to their homes, visit the charity’s website: shelterbox.org.
