When Typhoon Rolly first made its landfall in the Philippines, the next scenes became devastating.
Dubbed as the “strongest storm in the world this year” by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), typhoon Rolly – with international name Goni – packed catastrophic wind speeds of 225 kilometers per hour and smashed into Catanduanes in the Bicol Region last Sunday.
The typhoon’s impact was very much felt in Bicol – bending lamp posts, causing power outages, submerging towns in water, destroying crops and infrastructures, and burying hundreds of houses in volcanic rocks and mudflows from the Mayon Volcano.
Typhoon Rolly has already left the country but it also left thousands of families reeling from the impact.
CNN Philippines reports that to date, the devastating storm has also claimed 20 innocent lives and left tens and thousands of families in evacuation centers – all in the middle of the deadly pandemic.
Realizing the critical need of affected communities, the Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines, CBN Asia’s humanitarian arm, has prepositioned its disaster response team to Bicol and other affected provinces even before the typhoon’s onslaught.
Families from the coastal area of Barangay Anib, in Sipocot, Camarines Sur – whose homes were totally washed out by the typhoon – received much-needed food items and sleeping mats. On the other hand, the residents of Barangay San Roque, in Lopez, Quezon were given food bags to share with their families.
Today, the team visited Barangay Lanigay, in Polangui, Albay, and distributed food supplies and sleeping mats.
Aside from the immediate relief, the team offered prayers and words of encouragement to help comfort the affected families, through the support of Operation Blessing’s church partners.
Meanwhile, the Operation Blessing team is currently on the ground to assess the needs of displaced families and other affected individuals in Naga.
Amid the threat of COVID-19, thousands of families are forced to stay in evacuation centers and are still needing continuous humanitarian aid. Because the typhoon also ravaged their livelihood, a lot of them are now wondering where to get their next meal.
Through your prayers and support, we can help our kababayans get back on their feet!
Your partnership with Operation Blessing enables us to provide life-saving supplies like food and non-food items, sanitation kits, and medical care to disaster-stricken communities. In this dark time, every donation serves as the light to those who are in great need.
Help affected families to recover from Typhoon Rolly!
Send hope by donating through GCash (Operation Blessing) or through Operation Blessing’s website. For more information on how you can help, you may contact these numbers: 0918–906–7753, 0939–921–5543. For updates about our disaster relief efforts, follow Operation Blessing’s Facebook page.
(DSWD-SB-SP-00029-2019 Nationwide)
