On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda) made landfall in the Philippines. For hours, the islands of Leyte, Eastern Samar, Panay, and Cebu faced sustained wind speeds of up to 315 km/h. For senior GlobalMedic personnel first on the ground, this disaster was beyond anything they’d seen before. UN Officials described the aftermath as, “off the scale, apocalyptic.”
In the first few weeks there were no roads, food, electricity, beds, or escape from the death and destruction surrounding the victims. Over 6,000 people lost their lives and over 90% of homes and businesses in the hardest hit areas were completely destroyed. Thousands of families were in desperate need of clean water and medical attention.
The response to Typhoon Haiyan is one of the largest in GlobalMedic’s history, and would not have been accomplished without the hard work of our dedicated volunteers, and the support of our generous donors. Over 40 volunteers were deployed by GlobalMedic during the emergency phase of the response, into Cebu, Tacloban and Iloilo. Aid was delivered for 20 hours a day, in five-day rotations.
6,000+ PEOPLE KILLED
1,000+ MISSING
1,000s OF FAMILIES IN NEED
Our response to Typhoon Haiyan consisted of two phases. In the initial Emergency Phase, over 4.3 million litres of purified water was distributed to across communities in affected regions through tankering programs. In addition, for several months our teams operated a SCAN Water Purification System which purified thousands of litres of drinking water daily.
The RRT installed 5 field hospitals which treated well over $10,000 patients. Over $500,000 worth of essential medicines were distributed to working hospitals and used in GlobalMedic’s field hospitals.
GlobalMedic also provided shelter for over 2,500 people. 354 family shelters were distributed to families who lost their homes to provide a temporary solution until they could rebuild their homes. The RRT also installed a large evacuation centre in Estacion, following the evacuation of a number of nearby residents.
In the Early Recovery Phase, GlobalMedic continued operation of 3 field hospitals in Iloilo, Balangigia and Sara. Rainfresh Water Purification Units were distributed to more than 3,500 families to provide access to clean drinking water for one year. The team also rehabilitated 65 community wells to provide long-term access to drinking water. A hygiene education program was also created and accompanied the distribution of 3,045 hygiene kits.
In the Early Recovery Phase, GlobalMedic continued operation of 3 field hospitals in Iloilo, Balangigia and Sara. Rainfresh Water Purification Units were distributed to more than 3,500 families to provide access to clean drinking water for one year. The team also rehabilitated 65 community wells to provide long-term access to drinking water. A hygiene education program was also created and accompanied the distribution of 3,045 hygiene kits.
Using Compressed Earth Brick technology, 20 permanent homes were built. Forty labourers were trained on the Compressed Earth Brick technology, well rehabilitation and construction.
