After the floods of January 2021 and Typhoon Rai that hit the Philippines last December at Christmas, the country was once again hit by two consecutive typhoons Agaton and Malakas, that struck in mid-April on the islands of Panay and Negros, where our 3 centers as well as the dormitory and CAMELEON offices are located. The winds reached 150 km per hour in some areas. We are appealing to your generosity in order to provide first aid and to make future home repairs for our beneficiaries.
Our local teams and the Fundress, Laurence Ligier, who had just arrived to the site, did everything possible to ensure the safety of the children and staff in our centers. In this Easter vacation time, we are mobilized to assess the extent of the damage, especially for staff members and beneficiaries living near rivers. Latest national toll: 172 dead and 207,572 evacuated to emergency centers (The Philippine star, April, 18th) About 10 CAMELEON families are already affected.
The gifts will be used to offer assistance to the families, provide them with food and clothes, and further repair their houses damages by the floods and wind. Dewatering and cleaning of the centers to remove stagnant mud has begun. Many families have been evacuated to emergency centers and have had their homes destroyed. We're trying to reach other beneficiary families in order to know if they have been impacted and what are their needs.
In a country hit by more than 20 typhoons a year, it is necessary to repair the houses of our beneficiaries and staff members with strong materials, to avoid further damages in case of a new typhoon.
