With the first emergency shipment of medicines and supplies already on the ground in the Philippines, Direct Relief continues to receive urgent requests from partners working to treat the estimated 580,000 people who still remain displaced from Typhoon Haiyan. Electricity and communications lines remain down in the worst-affected provinces, making the full extent of destruction and loss of life unclear.

Today, Direct Relief is mobilizing another massive shipment of emergency medical relief, airlifting 28 pallets of antibiotics, oral rehydration and I.V. solutions, personal care packs, first-aid, and chronic care medications, all en route to health facilities that are critically low on supplies. These medical response efforts will reach people located on 19 different islands affected by the storm.

In addition to sending emergency airlifts directly to the Philippines, Direct Relief has helped equip teams of emergency responders such as Team Rubicon and Access Aid International as they deploy to the Philippines to provide emergency healthcare services to deal with the massive surge in patients and compromised health infrastructure.

Tomorrow the Direct Relief Emergency Response Team is deploying to further assess health needs and logistics channels that will allow for a rapid scaling up of support.

This response effort is not possible without the support of people, like you, who participate in Direct Relief. If you are interested in supporting Direct Relief’s efforts for this emergency, please click here to donate. Your involvement following this widespread devastation is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

Brett Williams
Director of International Programs and Emergency Response

Direct Relief
27 S. La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, California 93117 USA
(805) 965-4767