US, Japan give more aid to victims of Typhoon Odette
THE UNITED States has donated an additional P400 million to help victims of Typhoon Odette, with international name Rai, bringing the total aid amount to P1.4 billion, its embassy in Manila said on Monday.
“The United States is pleased to provide this additional assistance to meet the recovery needs of individuals and families in the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Odette, and we will continue to work with our partners in the Philippines and across the region to help communities prepare for such disasters and build greater resilience,” United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant to the Administrator Sarah Charles said in a statement.
At the weekend, she led the distribution of shelter supplies in Barangay Caridad, Surigao del Norte.
She also met with local officials and USAID partners on the ground to receive updates on the situation more than five months after the typhoon struck northern and central parts of the Philippines.
The fresh funds will be used to provide emergency maternal and child health services, repair damaged health centers, extend protection services, support livelihood recovery for farmers and fisherfolk, and assist in the rebuilding of houses.
Since December, USAID and its partners have provided food and water, emergency cash, hygiene supplies, among other relief items to typhoon-hit areas across the southern Philippines, helping over 8,000 families.
Meanwhile, Japan Minister Nakata Masahiro on Tuesday handed 3,333 bags of rice to families in Bohol province who were also affected by the typhoon.
During the ceremony at Balilihan, Bohol, Mr. Masahiro said he hopes that the donation under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR)would be a source of revitalization for affected families.
“Together, we will overcome any challenges and rise above each storm to attain regional food security,” he said.
Japan remains the biggest contributor of APTERR rice in the Philippines, distributing several thousand tons of stockpiled rice during various calamities.
APTERR is a regional cooperation that was started in 2012 to strengthen food security, alleviate poverty, and eradicate malnourishment among its member countries. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
