By Ronald O. Reyes
PHILIPPINES – Church and aid groups in the Catholic-majority Philippines have chipped in to assist affected communities after Typhoon Kalmaegi hit central parts of the country, leaving at least 66 dead and thousands stranded.
The typhoon triggered flooding in many areas, trapping people on their rooftops and cars, with thousands fleeing their homes to evacuation centers.
As of Nov 5, the death toll had reached 90 across the country, according to the Office of Civil Defense.
At least 250,000 people have been evacuated to six shelters across the Eastern Visayas region alone.
In Cebu City, in the central Philippines, churches offered shelter and food to people who escaped the heavy flooding.
In Maasin City, in Southern Leyte province, dozens of people rushed to churches and rectories as the storm made landfall on Nov 4, said Monsignor Oscar Cadayona, vicar general of Maasin diocese.
The evacuees were provided with cooked meals, he said.
Amid hardships triggered by earthquakes, three consecutive storms and floodings, Cadayona urged people not to lose hope and called on others to help affected communities.
“As one disaster comes after another, it may destroy the structures we have built on earth, but no hardships, difficulties and discomforts we have gone through can destroy our faith and trust in God, the creator of this world,” Cadayona told UCA News.
Rhoel Ladera, a humanitarian worker in Tacloban City, capital of the Eastern Visayas region, said they were sending “Angels on Wheels” an automobile aid group to badly hit areas in Silago, Southern Leyte, about 200 kilometers from the city, after the town mayor appealed for help on social media.
Ladera and his associates have launched a donation drive in Tacloban, which they were to deliver to affected areas in the southern part of the region on Nov 5.
“Our brothers and sisters in Silago, Southern Leyte, urgently need our help. We are launching a quick response donation drive for families affected by Typhoon Tino,” the automobile group said on Nov 4. They have appealed for rice, water, canned goods, hygiene kits and blankets.
“Every donation, big or small, makes a difference. Let’s come together and show the spirit of communal unity and cooperation,” it added.
As of Nov 4, the Philippine Red Cross’ Southern Leyte chapter had reached out to affected people in 18 towns and one city, according to its administrator Jonas Maco.
He said volunteers have provided cooked meals to evacuees, launched rescue operations and joined road clearing activities with government rescue workers and other volunteer groups.
Maco said he was grateful to his team of 40 volunteers for their quick response despite huge challenges.
In a televised speech on Nov 4, President Ferdinand Marcos said that government agencies had been directed to hasten relief and recovery operations in affected regions. He said more than 340,000 people had been affected.
In Cebu, Archbishop Alberto Uy directed all priests to open churches in the archdiocese as shelters for those seeking refuge during the storm, except for those damaged in a recent earthquake. – UCA News
