RAFI Emergency Relief Operations in Full Swing
The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) has ended its first round of rapid assessment in Cebu, completing its assessment of Typhoon Odette’s (International: Rai) impact on the province. Rapid assessment teams have returned from the municipalities of Toledo, Pinamungajan, and Aloguinsan.
Completion of the foundation’s first wave of rapid assessment paves way to full implementation of emergency relief operations to hard-hit communities. These are barangays which Typhoon Odette completely ravaged, destroying homes, infrastructure, and agriculture, and cutting off families from water, food, and electricity.
RAFI has laid out a 2-phase humanitarian relief operation in response to the massive destruction left in the wake of Typhoon Odette. Phase 1 is the Emergency Relief phase, wherein the foundation provides immediate relief to families in areas that were hit the hardest. Phase 2 will be the Early Recovery Phase, which includes the provision of emergency shelter kits to affected indigent families. Building materials and tools will be provided to families for them to rebuild their damaged houses.
To date, RAFI has distributed 2,540 relief packs to Cebu North, which includes the municipalities of Carmen and Catmon, and Danao City. It also distributed 717 relief packs to the Municipality of Malabuyoc.
Meanwhile, in Bohol Province, RAFI has deployed two teams for rapid assessment and immediate relief distribution. Distribution of 4,800 relief packs have begun in the municipalities of Ubay, Jetafe, Talibon, and Tubigon.
RAFI and its partners are fully committed to providing immediate relief and assistance to affected communities. It will distribute 49,243 relief packs across Cebu Province and Bohol Province in the coming days.
Relief packs bound for Bohol
As municipalities and cities are still in dire need of water and electricity, RAFI has also committed to the distribution of water and generators. It will distribute 400,000 liters of water to barangays in the coastal areas of Cebu City and select barangays in Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City. Fifty (50) generator sets will be distributed within Cebu.
As RAFI gears up for distribution of 49,243 relief packs across Cebu and Bohol, it begins its repacking operations right after Christmas. RAFI will require a number of volunteers to help repack thousands of relief packs for affected families. Repacking site will be located at the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. Main Office in Eduardo Aboitiz Street, Barangay Tinago, Cebu City. Interested volunteers may sign up at https://bit.ly/33LhmLP. Repacking operations begin on December 26, 2021.
Food, water, shelter, and fuel remain scarce and inaccessible for thousands of families affected by Typhoon Odette. RAFI is accepting financial donations from individuals and groups who wish to help. For in-kind donations, the organization is accepting donations of the following items most in need at the moment:
Water
Water filters
Generator sets
Fuel
As of December 23, 2021, the foundation has raised Php. 16,714,757 in cash and pledges from individual donors and organizations. The foundation is set to purchase an additional 123,943 relief packs for Cebu and Bohol, as well as drinking water for the tri-cities of Cebu, and generator sets for Cebu and Cebu Province. Additional relief packs and support will be added as more data continues to come in from RAFI’s Rapid Assessment teams.
The Foundation continues to coordinate with the Local Government Units, Government Agencies, and other Private Organizations to identify better interventions to response to the needs of the vulnerable sector.
RAFI is open for partnerships. Its Donation Hub is OPEN for donations and support from local and international organizations, as well as from individual donors. Donations will be used for the provision of immediate relief of affected families and communities.
Interested partners can contact RAFI through their email address eoc@rafi.ph or through the following numbers 265-5914 (landline), 0917-633-2936 (Globe), and 0933-879-2966 (Sun).
