A NAVY ship loaded with emergency shelter-repair materials and other relief supplies from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is set to arrive in Batanes on Monday as part of the humanitarian group’s emergency response to the needs of families and communities that were affected by Typhoon Ferdie (international code name Meranti).
“We at the Philippine Red Cross never forget a disaster. We never take a community for granted, despite the distance or the difficulty to reach the affected areas. With the support of our volunteers and teams on the ground, we hope that the provision of these initial materials will help the affected families repair their damaged homes and provide them with some of the things that they need,” said Sen. Richard J. Gordon, PRC chairman and CEO.
Among the items that were shipped are corrugated galvanized iron sheets for 348 families, sleeping kits (blankets, plastic mats, mosquito nets) and hygiene kits for 1,208 families and tarpaulin for 1,170 families.
Gordon said the provision of emergency shelter assistance and other relief materials for the affected families was based on the recommendations of the PRC assessment team that was deployed to Batanes in the aftermath of the typhoon.
To better serve the affected population, the PRC will also send operations and relief team to cover Itbayat and Basco in Batanes for the selection and validation of beneficiaries, facilitate distribution of items, coordinate with local government and other stakeholders, and conduct community-awareness campaigns.
The team is also tasked to initiate discussion with the provincial government on the establishment of a local branch and to recruit Red Cross 143 volunteers to ensure presence of a wide network of volunteers ready to provide humanitarian services in the area.
Ferdie made landfall in Itbayat, Batanes, on September 11, and left a trail of destruction in the northern part of Luzon.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office of Batanes reported a total of 2,902 houses damaged in the province, of which 1,420 were totally destroyed and 1,482 were partially damaged.