USAID on the way to Devastated Areas of the Philippines

Help is on the way to areas of the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development and humanitarian relief groups. USAID provides support for natural disaster preparedness and relief by working in close partnership with the Government of the Philippines, the Red Cross, NGOs, the private sector, and the U.S. military.

The U.S. Government (USG) is providing $20 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to benefit typhoon-affected populations, including the provision of emergency shelter, food assistance, relief commodities, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support.

USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and corresponding Washington, D.C.- based Response Management Team (RMT).

At the request of the Philippine government, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directed U.S. Pacific Command to deploy ships and aircraft to support search-and-rescue operations and airlift emergency supplies, according to a statement released by the Defense Department press office.

USAID, the lead agency for the international humanitarian response, deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to the area to make those assessments. The team's early surveys in some of the country's hardest-hit areas found severe damage, particularly in the towns of Tacloban and Ormoc on the island of Leyte, which were virtually wiped out by the storm. One of the first supplies delivered was plastic sheeting to be used for emergency shelter.