Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has allocated QR1m as an initial and urgent response to support families affected by Vinta storm in the Philippines in fields including health care, food and non-food items.
The support comes in response to the call for relief launched by the Philippine Red Cross due to the emergency conditions resulting from the tropical storm, which struck several areas of the southern Philippines on December 23, QRCS said Tuesday in a press release. QRCS pointed out that immediately after the disaster, they coordinated with the Philippine Red Cross and a joint operations room was activated to follow up the latest developments and limit the damage.
QRCS also coordinated with its team in Marawi city to follow up and assess the most important needs at this stage. The flooding caused by Vinta led to the displacement of some people living in the affected areas due to the destruction of 12,041 houses.
The latest tropical storm has killed 203 people, injured more than 171, while 100 persons are still missing. The storm also cut water, electricity and roads. QRCS has recently distributed emergency aid to 14,000 families in Marawi, where the relief team mqaanaged to reach the city after the Philippine government announced the end of violence that has been going on for more than five months.
QRCS is the first international organization to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the storm. The aid included 14,000 food parcels, 2,000 personal hygiene kits, as well as psychological support for children in shelters.
