“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3)
After Typhoon Hagupit (known locally as Ruby) smashed into the Philippines on December 22, an emergency response team from IsraAID rushed to the islands to provide medical care, food, and other services to those devastated by the storm.
The deadly typhoon wreaked havoc on the island nation, leaving hundreds of thousands of families homeless. Hagupit, which is Filipino for “smash” or “whip,” forced over 1.6 million into shelters.
IsraAID Offers Assistance to Typhoon Ruby Victims on Christmas (Photo: IsraAID Facebook)
The team reported last week that they had so far provided medical, psychological and social services to four hundred families and distributed food and supplies to the residents of Can-Avid, in the country’s Eastern Samar province about 15 km from where the eye of the typhoon landed. Nearly all of Can-Avid’s 20,000 residents have been affected. (Times of Israel)
This follows last year’s Typhoon Haiyan, which left over 6,300 people dead or missing and a massive trail of destruction. At that time, Israel provided over 100 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies and established an emergency medical facility which was manned by an IDF rescue mission providing care for those suffering from the disaster.
IsraAID has been helping victims of natural and man-made disasters from Haiti to Kurdistan, working in coordination with the UN and the local Ministry Department of Health. (MFA)
In addition to the distribution of food and other goods, the organization is also conducting psycho social support activities for more than 150 children and training local professionals for dealing with trauma affected communities in Barangay Rawis and Camantang. (Arutz 7)
