IMMEDIATE
RELEASE

Casey
Calamusa

206.310.5476

World
Vision
appeals
for
$2
million
to
help
survivors
of
Typhoon
Ketsana

·





Manila’s
“worst
disaster
in
decades”
affected
over
450,000
people


·





World
Vision
relief
teams
to
help
close
to
100,000
survivors


·





Aid
agency
dispatches
relief
by
helicopter
to
hard‐to‐reach
areas

SEATTLE,
September
28,
2009
–
International
relief
agency,
World
Vision,
is

appealing
for
$2
million
USD
to
help
the
survivors
of
Typhoon
Ketsana.

The
storm,

which
packed
maximum
wind
speeds
of
nearly
110
kph,
brought
one
month’s
rain

to
the
capital
city
of
Manila
and
neighboring
provinces
in
less
than
seven
hours
and

killed
at
least
140
people.

It
is
the
worst
disaster
to
hit
the
city
in
decades.


“The
impact
of
this
typhoon
on
Manila
has
been
shocking.

Many
have
lost

everything,
including
bedding,
food,
education
materials
and
clothing,”
said
World

Vision’s
national
director
in
the
Philippines,
Elnora
Avarientos.

“The
poorest
living

in
slums
and
settlements
are
especially
badly
hit.”

World
Vision
is
working
with
the
Philippine
Coast
Guard
to
distribute
aid
as
quickly

as
possible,
dispatching
relief
by
helicopter
to
some
of
the
hard‐to‐reach
areas.

The

agency’s
emergency
response
teams
hope
to
reach
nearly
100,000
people
with
food

and
other
relief
items
in
some
of
the
hardest‐hit
areas
of
Manila,
including
Marikina,

Cainta,
Rizal,
and
Pasig.
Thousands
of
homes
in
these
areas
are
damaged
or

destroyed,
and
many
families
lost
everything
when
the
flood
waters
swept
through

their
homes.
In
addition,
the
aid
agency
is
organizing
food‐
and
cash‐for‐work

programs
to
help
communities
recover
and
clean
up
their
streets,
community

buildings
and
schools.

World
Vision
will
also
set
up
Child‐Friendly
Spaces
for
the

children.

“Houses
were
flooded
in
just
a
few
minutes,
so
people
were
not
able
to
bring
their

belongings
or
food
into
evacuation
centers,”
said
World
Vision’s
emergency
affairs

director,
Boy
Bersales.

“Others
waited
on
their
rooftops
to
be
rescued.”


Most
of
the
city
is
covered
in
mud.
Those
who
managed
to
flee
on
foot
were
left

grappling
with
surging
water,
floating
debris
and
water
up
to
their
necks.

A
number

of
dead
bodies,
most
of
which
were
children
and
elderly,
were
seen
floating
in
the

water
in
areas
still
flooded,
while
some
bodies
were
found
along
the
streets
in
areas

where
water
has
subsided.

World
Vision’s
own
staff
has
also
been
impacted
by
the
floods.

Many
found
their

homes
suddenly
flooded
and
others
fled
to
the
World
Vision
office
where
their

families
stayed
overnight.

25
employees
have
also
received
emergency
aid
through

the
organization.

World
Vision
is
working
closely
with
other
INGOs,
the
National
Disaster

Coordinating
Council
and
rescue
teams
and
local
companies
who
are
providing
food

for
distribution.


World
Vision
is
a
Christian
humanitarian
organization
dedicated
to
working
with

children,
families
and
their
communities
worldwide
to
reach
their
full
potential
by

tackling
the
causes
of
poverty
and
injustice.