A team from the international disaster aid organization CARE has touched down in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan struck the island nation last week.
Reached by phone from the Philippine province of Cebu, CARE Assistant Emergency Director David Gazashvili said he and four other team members from the nonprofit’s Atlanta headquarters will make daylong trips to some of the hardest-hit areas in the country.
“There are many towns and village across the region that need help,” Gazashvili said. “In terms of the needs, we understand that water, hygiene products, sanitation, food, and shelter are the immediate priorities.”
CARE has issued a $5 million appeal, asking people in the United States to make donations to get lifesaving supplies to more than 150,000 people in the storm-stricken region.
“This is an incredibly devastating storm,” CARE spokesman Brian Feagans said Monday from his Atlanta office. “We’re seeing entire communities leveled.”
Typhoon Haiyan hit the eastern coast of the Philippines on Friday and quickly barreled across its central islands, packing winds of 147 mph that gusted to 170 mph, with a storm surge of 20 feet.
The international community has pledged support of the Philippines, with relief efforts pouring in from the United States to Japan.
Gazashvili said CARE teams have already embarked on boat trips that could take as long 12 hours to get to southern Leyte and eastern Samar, islands that weathered the brunt of the storm.
The death toll is expected to be “in the thousands,” Gazashvili said, citing International Red Cross estimates.
Team members will begin by making assessments of where the greatest need is and directing supplies and erecting shelters in those areas, Feagans said.
“There’s no communication or power there,” Gazashvili said. “And many people are staying in recreation centers or outside of the recreation centers.”
Gazashvili’s team will connect with CARE staffers from other parts of the world converging on the Philippines to partner with local aid agencies there to get people the help they need, he said.
“We can organize procurement of items here,” Gazashvili said, extending a plea for help from private U.S. citizens. “The best help would be to donate. It’s always easiest to donate funds.”
To help, log onto CARE.org or call 404-681-2552.
— The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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