Finding family in the Philippines
Natural disasters, such as Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines, create chaos and confusion. They often separate loved ones when they need each other most. The Canadian Red Cross Restoring Family Links Program helps people re-establish contact with their family members after separation in such circumstances.
If you are seeking a family member in the Philippines please contact your local Canadian Red Cross office to confidentially discuss your request with a trained volunteer or staff member, or visit us online at: redcross.ca/familylinks.
For Rogelio Arges, the Red Cross field hospital in Ormoc could not have arrived at a better time. While medical, administration and other disaster response experts were working around the clock to set up the tented hospital, Arges was clearing rubble and debris with the Philippines' Department of Public Works. While working to clear roads through central Ormoc, on hard-hit Leyte Island, he stumbled and broke his arm.
Ormoc's public hospital, which Arges would normally rely on for emergencies like this, was heavily damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. More than a week after the disaster, the hospital is operating at less than 20 per cent of its normal capacity. Patients on stretchers fill the lobby and hallways, and sunlight streams into the patient wards and operating rooms, where the strong winds tore off the roof.
Arges walked in to a crowd of volunteers and medical personnel building the hospital, and quickly found the help he needed. A Red Cross doctor set and plastered his broken arm, and sent him home to recover.
Arges’ home was severely damaged by Typhoon Haiyan, and his broken arm days later made him worry about how his family would survive the unexpected costs. "The Red Cross helping the Ormoc district hospital meant I could get the service I needed at the public hospital," he said. "Without this help, I don't know where we would be."
The Red Cross field hospital is a joint deployment of the Canadian, Norwegian and Hong Kong Red Crosses. Its operating theatre, maternity wards and inpatient services will begin operating on Thursday, November 21st, two days after arriving in Ormoc.
Canadians wishing to help those affected by this storm are encouraged to make a financial donation online at www.redcross.ca, at their local Red Cross office or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Please earmark donations “Typhoon Haiyan”. The Government of Canada will match the donations of individual Canadians between November 8 and December 23, 2013.