On Friday, 8th November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan known locally as Typhoon Yolanda struck the east coastal provinces of Samar and Leyte. It then headed west, sweeping through six central Philippine islands. It was the strongest storm ever to make landfall, and one of the most powerful ever recorded, with reports of winds over 190mph which caused widespread damage.
Millions of people have been affected; amongst these are those already left homeless by the earthquake that struck in mid-October. It is estimated that 10,000 people have been killed. Many towns have been affected by the typhoon; Tacloban, Leyte Province, largely flattened by a massive storm surge; Guiuan, Samar Province with a population of 40,000 has been destroyed; assessments in the far north of Cebu Province, had shown that some towns had suffered 80-90% damage and Baco, a city of 35,000 people in Oriental Mindoro Province was 80% under water.
On 11th November 2013, the President of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity approved an emergency grant of £50,000 to the British Red Cross to provide immediate disaster relief across the region for much needed Hygiene Kits for 8,500 families.
An online fundraising page has also been setup by The Grand Charity for the benefit of the Philippines Disaster Relief Chest. Donations can be made online using a Debit or Credit card from: http://everydayhero.co.uk/event/E0129C
