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AMDA Emergency Relief #2: Earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines

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Philippines
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AMDA
Publication date

On November 6th, a coordinator from AMDA Headquarters discussed further relief work with staff members of AMDA Philippines and Women in National Development and Security (WiNDS) in Manila after arriving from Japan on the previous day.

The next day (Nov. 7th), the joint team moved to General Santos City in Mindanao which was hit by serial quakes late last month. The local disaster management authority said the extent of the damage was severe even in places far from the epicenter (Tulunan), adding that aftershocks still continue in some areas.

In Magpet, Cotabato Province (Mindanao), people were reportedly seeking shelter in outdoor tents after fleeing homes. The officials said situations in five of its districts were still unclear. As a result, the joint team decided to organize an aid distribution effort on the following day, targeting 250 households in the Kinarum district, home to three different ethnic tribes.

On the 8th, the team eventually managed to provide relief items to 322 households in Kinarum. Since an extra supply of rice (which was stored locally) was added to the relief items that were originally prepared, it allowed more people to benefit from the assistance. The relief goods included water, rice, noodles, soap, toothpastes and toothbrushes.

The aid was well appreciated as almost no assistance had reached the impoverished community until AMDA entered the area. When asked to give a speech by the community leader, AMDA personnel praised the villagers for their perseverance and resilience amidst the difficult time. A big round of applause was suffice to prove that her words resonated with the local people.

On the same day, AMDA also visited a hospital in South Cotabato to provide support for the earliest facility recovery.

The AMDA coordinator returned to Japan on November 10th after completing her work.

From now on, AMDA will continue to keep an eye on further developments and make necessary arrangements with the local counterparts if need be.