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.
A huge cheer goes up as the Philippine Red Cross relief truck slowly rounds the corner of the main street of Tanuan. More than a thousand people have been lining up patiently for over an hour, waiting for food packets that will sustain them through the next few days.
This is amongst the first relief to arrive in the town of 50,000, a positive sign that the situation for survivors of typhoon Haiyan is beginning to improve. No house escaped the effects of the combined tidal surge and extreme winds that came with Typhoon Haiyan. The waves smashed everything in their path and the debris of broken homes, vehicles and possessions clogs every street.
Across the road from the distribution, a Philippine Red Cross first aid post has been set up for the day. A stream of walking wounded has been coming to have their injuries treated. Two Red Cross volunteers carefully clean a wound on the arm of a teenager wounded by a flying metal roof that was torn from a nearby house.
“Most of the wounds are lacerations,” says Rudelly Cabutin, who has arrived from the Philippine Red Cross Chapter in Laguna. “The worry is that without proper treatment many will become infected, local medical services in the town have collapsed.”
The Canadian Red Cross is setting up its emergency field hospital in the city of Ormoc, on the west coast of the island. It will be set up just in front of the local district hospital, which was flooded and the roof destroyed. The Red Cross field hospital will be able to cover the health needs of a population of more than 100,000 people. It can treat up to 300 people a day as out-patients and can provide immunization for 1,000 children if needed. It will also have additional surgical capacity of up to 70 in-patient beds.
“The needs on the ground are immense,” says Conrad Sauvé, secretary general and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross, who was just in the Philippines. “The Red Cross is committed to helping people as they recovery both in the immediate aftermath and in the longer term.”
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.