By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
KALIBO, Aklan — Survivors of super typhoon “Yolanda” in Aklan will continue receiving aid from the Philippine Red Cross under the organization’s three-year recovery program.
Nine municipalities have been identified as priority areas under the recovery plan: Balete, Lezo, Madalag, Altavas, Malinao, Banga, New Washington, Libacao, and Numancia.
“We continue to support super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ victims,” said Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, Red Cross secretary-general. “We want to complete this soon because we don’t know what other disasters are coming.”
Aside from Aklan, the organization has helped storm victims in Capiz, Iloilo, Antique, Ormoc, Cebu, Western Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, and Palawan over the past 10 months, Pang said.
It has distributed a cash grant of P10,000 for each of 6,670 families in the last four months, helped 6,200 families rebuild their homes, and built 2,795 core shelters for families rendered homeless by “Yolanda.”
Also, Red Cross will build five health care facilities and support the rehabilitation and construction of eight classrooms in Aklan.
Before “Yolanda,” the group built 603 houses and gave out emergency assistance for typhoon “Frank” victims in the province in 2008.
Pang and a group of volunteers recently visited far-flung barangays of the province to distribute relief goods.
Red Cross, however, cannot be there all the time, said Pang. “We have to teach them how to respond to disasters or emergencies. We have to empower the people, especially those in far-flung areas.”
She asked the public to support Red Cross in its humanitarian activities, including blood banking, fund raising, social welfare service, and disaster risk reduction. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
