Handicap International sends emergency team to help disabled and vulnerable people in Philippines
Handicap International is today sending a team of emergency specialists to the Philippines to support the organisation’s staff already working in the country. These specialists will help the most vulnerable individuals, such as people with disabilities, older people and children, who are particularly at risk.
Handicap International staff were already in the Philippines when the typhoon struck and a team is ready to travel to the worst-affected areas to assess needs on the ground. A team of three humanitarian emergency specialists is today being sent to join them.
“The devastation is worse than in Bandah Aceh, Indonesia, following the 2004 tsunami,” says Edith van Wijngaarden, Handicap International’s Programme Director in the Philippines.
“Three days after the disaster, only military flights are landing in Tacloban, a town in the centre of the country that is one of the worst hit by the storm. It’s important that Handicap International’s emergency team accesses the area as soon as possible.”
"I’m particularly worried about the most vulnerable individuals. When nothing is left standing and the local infrastructure has been destroyed, people with disabilities, older people and children are particularly vulnerable. We absolutely have to supply them with relief.”
In disaster situations, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are particularly at risk. As part of its emergency response, Handicap International will identify vulnerable individuals, help them access humanitarian aid, meet their specific needs (e.g. crutches, wheelchairs, etc.) and help provide rehabilitation care for injured and disabled people.
Present in the Philippines since 1985, Handicap International has deployed emergency teams during previous hurricanes in the Philippines and has extensive experience in the country. The organisation operates disaster risk reduction and development projects in several areas of the country. The contingency plans and evacuation procedures implemented as part of risk reduction projects help alleviate the impact of natural disasters.
Press contact
Tom Shelton
Email: tom.shelton@hi-uk.org
Mobile: 44 (0)7508 810 520
Tel: 44 (0)870 774 3737
www.handicap-international.org.uk
www.twitter.com/hi_uk
About Handicap International
Co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Handicap International is an independent charity working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work tirelessly alongside disabled and vulnerable people in over 60 countries worldwide. www.handicap-international.org.uk
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