News

In the wake of the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan, the fiercest typhoon to have ever made landfall, The Salvation Army has launched a Typhoon Disaster Relief Appeal to assist communities which have been devastated in the Philippines.

The Salvation Army, as an international movement, has a strong presence within the Philippines with local personnel assisting the communities impacted both prior to and after Typhoon Haiyan hit.

The Salvation Army’s Territorial Commander for the Philippines Colonel Wayne Maxwell, an Australian, says the devastation is catastrophic and widespread and unlike anything he has experienced before.

“There are no words which can describe the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan,” Colonel Maxwell said.

“Thousands of people are missing and feared dead, with the bodies of innocent men, women and children all over the place. The needs of the survivors are massive but also very basic; they need water, food, tarpaulins for shelter and mats to sleep on.”

The Salvation Army in the Philippines has already released considerable resources to purchase water, food and medical supplies to assist the victims, with Salvation Army medical personnel also being deployed to typhoon affected communities.

“Salvation Army personnel are currently on the ground supporting with the relief effort and will remain for as long as it takes. The Salvation Army has a strong presence within the Philippines and we would ask that the Australian community dig deep to assist those who had very little before the typhoon, but now have absolutely nothing,” Colonel Maxwell said.

Australians who would like to support The Salvation Army’s Typhoon Disaster Relief Appeal can do so by calling 13 SALVOS (13 72 58), online salvos.org.au or in person at Westpac Bank branches across Australia.