Pray
Please pray for people who have been affected by the typhoons in the Philippines. May God’s healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need.
Give
Thanks to generous donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response (General Fund) will be used where they are most needed.
Connect
To learn more about the situation and the ELCA’s response:
Damage caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan. Photo credit: Jessica Dator Bercilla/ACT
Lutheran Disaster Response – International is committing $1 million to Lutheran World Relief to collaboratively address the needs of the people impacted by Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Early Nov. 8, 2013, one of the world’s most powerful storms on record, Super Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, swept through the Philippines’ Eastern Visayas Region. Some areas experienced 235 mile-per-hour wind gusts, 16 inches of rainfall and waves as tall as 45 feet. Several of the areas impacted by Haiyan include communities with high levels of poverty and regions still recovering from the Oct. 15 7.2-magnitude earthquake, both of which are areas more vulnerable to the impacts of the disaster.
Approximately 9.5 million people have been impacted by the storm, and local officials estimate that up to 10,000 people have died in the Leyte Province city of Tacloban alone.
Lutheran Disaster Response – International is working with ACT Alliance partners—Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Philippines ACT Forum Coordinator, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP)—to coordinate response plans.
Lutheran World Relief’s assessment team has traveled to Northern Cebu and Western Leyte identifying immediate needs. The LWR Philippines office in Mindanao is in communication with other ministry partners, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and local government officials.
LWR’s prioritized response plans include
Lutheran World Relief’s skills, competencies and capacity with local organizations in the Philippines make them a trusted partner for Lutheran Disaster Response – International to coordinate with for long-term recovery and rebuilding in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Lutheran World Federation has sent their Regional Emergency Response assessment team to the Philippines; our LDR – International Program Director, Vitaly Vorona, is in Geneva and has had conversations with LWF and ACT Alliance regarding assessment of the impacted areas.
Lutheran Disaster Response – International will also respond within the capacity of our companion church, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines, and in coordination with LWF.
We are committed to working through these partners. Their on-the-ground presence will best steward our resources so that our brothers and sisters in the Philippines can be assisted both now and through long-term recovery.
You can give now to help us work with our partners toward recovery and rebuilding in the Philippines.
The following report from Lutheran Iligan – Disaster Relief Chairman Rev. Xavier James B. Palattao is a bit dated (Dec 21) but it gives a good overview of the aftermath in Iligan City following the devastation of Typhoon Washi (local name: Sendong) on Dec 16. Also, there is a few pages of pictures at the end that tell in more than words what the damage really looks like (photo on the right is from the set).
Of note in the report is the explanation of why Iligan City is not getting more aid. Within the pictures see how the dwellings are so closely clustered on the edge of the river banks. When the waters rose quickly these people, some of the poorest in the area, were caught right in the middle of it. And so those least equipped to handle a disaster were the most impacted, an unfortunately common theme in disaster.
Take a few moments to learn more in the Iligan City Disaster Report. (pdf)
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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.