Major aid effort to help typhoon victims

THE US and other governments and international agencies are mounting a major relief effort to help victims of supertyphoon Yolanda.

Brian Goldbeck, the acting ambassador at the US Embassy in Manila, issued a disaster declaration to provide an immediate $100,000 for relief efforts. Officials from the US Agency for International Development are deployed around the country to monitor the damage.

Other charities working to provide relief in the Philippines include:

The United Nations World Food Programme (UN–WFP) said it has allocated $2 million for the disaster response and officials joined a UN-Government assessment mission to survey damage in Leyte and Samar provinces;

UNICEF said that its staff in the Philippines is being repositioned to help in relief efforts and that 66 tons of emergency supplies are being sent from Copenhagen. An airlift set to arrive on Tuesday will include water purification systems, storage equipment and sanitation supplies;

The American Red Cross said it has deployed two people to assist with assessments in the Philippines and activated its family tracing services;

Catholic Relief Services is accepting donations on its website, emergencies.crs.org, as it begins moving supplies and staff to respond to the typhoon.

World Vision said it is putting together resources to assist 1.2 million people, including food, hygiene kits, emergency shelter and protection. It asked for one-time donations to be made at worldvision.org. /AP