Since Typhoon Hagupit made landfall in the Philippines earlier this month, the Philippine Red Cross has been busy providing emergency relief and assessing damage in the hard-hit area of Samar Island.
Hagupit, which means “smash” or "lash" in Filipino, knocked out power, left three people dead and sent nearly 900,000 into shelters. But it eventually petered out into a tropical storm, and bore no comparison to 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan, with its extensive trauma and devastation.
The Red Cross has set up a basic health care unit in Dolores, Eastern Samar Province to provide services until health care facilities in the area can resume normal activities, with technical support for this clinic being provided by the Canadian Red Cross. Last year, the Canadian Red Cross deployed its field hospital to the Philippines in response to Typhoon Haiyan. This equipment was then handed over to the Philippine Red Cross for use in emergencies such as this latest typhoon.
The ongoing knowledge sharing and collaboration between the two Red Cross societies helps local staff and volunteers in disaster preparedness and response, as described a few months ago in this blog post by Sebastien Jouffroy, a Canadian Red Cross worker who is currently based in Manila.
Hagupit, which means “smash” or "lash" in Filipino, knocked out power, left three people dead and sent nearly 900,000 into shelters. But it eventually petered out into a tropical storm, and bore no comparison to 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan, with its extensive trauma and devastation.
The Red Cross has set up a basic health care unit in Dolores, Eastern Samar Province to provide services until health care facilities in the area can resume normal activities, with technical support for this clinic being provided by the Canadian Red Cross. Last year, the Canadian Red Cross deployed its field hospital to the Philippines in response to Typhoon Haiyan. This equipment was then handed over to the Philippine Red Cross for use in emergencies such as this latest typhoon.
The ongoing knowledge sharing and collaboration between the two Red Cross societies helps local staff and volunteers in disaster preparedness and response, as described a few months ago in this blog post by Sebastien Jouffroy, a Canadian Red Cross worker who is currently based in Manila.
