Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) made landfall in the Philippines on Friday 8th November 2013 and ravaged many of the islands over 7 hours. Winds gusting up to 170mph flattened houses, destroyed infrastructure and caused widespread deaths, especially in Leyte and Samar provinces, where towns and cities such as Tacloban, Guiuan and Baco lie in ruins. Other cities such as Roxas, Busuango and Kalibo also face major damage and disruption.

There is limited access to the worst affected areas and it is likely to be several days before we get a full sense of the damage and human impact. Latest UN estimates suggest that close to 650,000 people are displaced, around 10,000 are dead and many thousands are injured. In total around 9 million people across the Philippines have been affected by the unprecedented ferocity of the Typhoon. Many injured and vulnerable people are foraging for food and surviving in difficult conditions amid fears of disease spread.

Humanity First has been working in the Philippines as a registered local NGO for the last three years having supported relief efforts from previous cyclones such as Washi. Our local team is conducting an assessment in discussions with the UN and local authorities. Meanwhile, HF medical teams in Europe and North America are on standby, and a large shipment of 600 survival boxes including water filtration kits is being planned with our partner World Water Works this week.