Children and IsraAid volunteers in the Philippines after Typhoon Hagupit wreaked havoc, on December 22, 2014. (photo credit: Courtesy IsraAid)
The Israeli aid group IsraAID sent an emergency response team to the Philippines in the wake of a typhoon which has left hundreds of thousands of families homeless.
The team has been providing medical, psychological and social services and distributed food and supplies to the residents of Can Avid, in the country’s Eastern Samar province.
IsraAID said in a statement Monday that its medical team has treated over 400 people so far and that supplies had been delivered to some 400 affected families.
The supplies included food and non-food items, according to IsraAID, such as rice, noodles, water, mosquito repellent, and hygiene kits.
IsraAid volunteers offering medical aid in the Philippines after Typhoon Hagupit wreaked havoc, on December 22, 2014. (photo credit: Courtesy IsraAid)
Typhoon Hagupit, known locally as Ruby, began as a frighteningly powerful storm earlier this month, leaving at least 21 people dead and forcing more than 1.6 million into shelters in the Philippines. Hagupit is Filipino for “smash” or “lash.”
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Many of the archipelago’s central provinces are still reeling from last year’s monster Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and a massive trail of destruction, fueling worries about Hagupit as it approached from the Pacific with menacing gusts of 250 kph (155 mph) two weeks ago.
A destroyed farmer’s house lying next to coconut trees destroyed at the height of Typhoon Hagupit at a village in Taft town, Eastern Samar province, central Philippines, seen on December 10, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/TED ALJIBE)
During Typhoon Haiyan last year, Israel delivered more 100 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies and set up an emergency medical facility run by an IDF rescue mission to provide care for the many casualties of the disaster.
The 148-person medical team spent 11 days in Bogo City, treating more than 2,600 patients, including 800 children. The team also conducted 52 surgeries and delivered 36 babies, according to the army.
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The first of those 36 babies was named Israel by his parents.
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