Typhoon Odette Aftermath: Affected families in Surigao del Norte receive initial emergency life-saving aid through USAID support

With the support of the USAID, an estimated 7,259 people affected by Typhoon Odette (Internationally named Rai) in Surigao del Norte received immediate life-saving aid through our Typhoon Odette Emergency Response.

Action Against Hunger team loads relief items to boats going to the island barangays of Talisay, Surigao Del Norte

In photo: Action Against Hunger team loads relief items to boats going to the island barangays of Talisay, Surigao Del Norte. (Photo by Nino Kim Diez for Action Against Hunger)

Since December 16, our teams have been going through different barangays in Surigao City (Sabang, Ipil, and the island barangay of Talisay), and the Municipality of San Francisco (Oslao) to identify and provide the basic needs of families greatly affected by the typhoon.

Three people carrying emergency kits (jerry cans & NFIs from Action Against Hunger and shelter tarpaulins from IOM) received during the distribution

Action Against Hunger distributed hygiene kits and non-food items for kitchen and sleeping essentials to typhoon-affected families in Sabang, Surigao City. Shelter tarpaulins were provided by the Immigration Organization for Migration (IOM). (Photo by Nino Kim Diez for Action Against Hunger)

“A lot of people still need basic life-saving assistance which needs to be urgently addressed in order to prepare them for early recovery,” says Maricel Vina Menez, Action Against Hunger Philippines Project Officer. She is one of the team members who has been immediately on the ground 24 hours after Typhoon Odette made landfall in Surigao del Norte.

In photo: Action Against Hunger team loads relief items to boats going to the island barangays of Talisay, Surigao Del Norte. (Photo by Nino Kim Diez for Action Against Hunger)

“We hope to reach 2,000 families before December ends,” she adds. Through the funding of the United States Agency for Internation Development (USAID), we were able to provide emergency food assistance, hygiene kits, and non-food items like kitchen utensils, sleeping mats & blankets.