UMCOR Philippines volunteers and staff loaded a cargo truck of relief goods which carried rice, oil, salt, brown sugar, beans, sardines, cooking oil, coffee, and water purification tablets for survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on Nov. 8. About 1,500 families, or 7,500 people, benefitted from the relief packages.
A caravan of three UMCOR vehicles carrying the vital supplies journeyed to the northern part of the country and onto the archipelago, through about 10 provinces, to reach survivors in the hard-hit city of Tacloban in Leyte Province. The distribution took place Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Thanks to the generous outpouring of United Methodists, this is just the first of several shipments UMCOR anticipates making to assist the survivors,” said the Rev. Jack Amick, in an UMCOR release. Amick is UMCOR’s assistant general secretary for International Disaster Relief, who traveled with the caravan to distribute supplies.
Typhoon Haiyan destroyed more than 250,000 homes and impacted more than 11 million people across 44 provinces. At least 3,500 people were killed in the super storm known locally as Yolanda.
United Methodists are encouraged to support relief efforts by donating generously to International Disaster Response Advance #982450 where 100 percent of your gift will support disaster survivors in need.
UMVIM Volunteers have not yet been invited to come and serve. When they are invited, they will be needed for the next several years to help the rebuild efforts.
Please pray for those affected by severe weather which spawned an outbreak of tornadoes around several Midwest states on Sunday, Nov. 17. The tornadoes left widespread damage and killed about eight people. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee were all affected by severe weather, but the most widespread damage occurred in the town of Washington, 140 miles southwest of Chicago, where a powerful EF-4 tornado destroyed or damaged an estimated 250-500 homes, according to news reports. UMCOR has reached out to affected annual conferences to assess immediate needs.
