Cities and towns in Eastern Visayas that were devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda eight years ago have rushed to help victims of Typhoon Odette in Southern Leyte and Mindanao.
Six days after the typhoon, Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez delivered relief supplies to the town of San Juan in Southern Leyte on Wednesday.
“Aside from the 300 sacks of rice, water, and medicines we also brought the medical service of the city health office through a medical mission for the citizens of San Juan,” the mayor said in a statement.
Tacloban is regarded as the epicenter of the 2013 killer typhoon.
Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez announced on Wednesday that the local government has sent five health personnel, three sanitation personnel, and two drivers to Southern Leyte to provide public health services such as integrated management of childhood illness, water sanitation and hygiene, and vector control.
“We are bringing an initial 30 out of 90 gallons of drinking water donated by the different water refilling stations in Ormoc City initiated by the sanitation section of Ormoc City health department,” Gomez added.
On the same day, a relief aid team from the city government of Borongan in Eastern Samar arrived in General Luna, Surigao del Norte.
2,000 corrugated sheets, 25 tarp rolls, 100 slim jugs of purified water, 20 boxes of umbrella nails, 2,000 loaves of bread, and 200 sacks of rice were all delivered.
“This is our way to reach out to the victims of the Super Typhoon Odette. Like Siargao and most of the severely affected places in the Visayas and Mindanao, we’ve been hit by strong typhoons before. We, the people of Borongan, know how hard it is to recover so we are doing our part,” said Mayor Jose Ivan Agda, in a statement.
Borongan was one of the first responders on December 17, sending relief aid to Maasin City, Southern Leyte, and Inopacan, Leyte.
They gave Maasin 145 sacks of rice and five sacks to a village in Inopacan, Leyte.
Typhoon Odette struck Southern Leyte on December 16, killing at least 24 people, leaving six others missing, and injuring 35 others. Thousands of homes were destroyed.
A week after the typhoon passed through the country, the entire province is still without power and has unstable mobile phone signals.