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Philippine Consul General to send off CMAT Assessment team, Wednesday for Philippines.

The CMAT Assessment Team is departing Wednesday for the Philippines.

The CMAT Assessment Team is departing Wednesday for the Philippines.

 

VANCOUVER  – CMAT will be deploying its initial disaster assessment team on Wednesday to respond to Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines late last week.  An emergency appeal for donations has been launched to help the people of the Philippines, after the catastrophic Typhoon struck the region on November 8, 2013. Several thousand people are estimated to have perished, and numbers are expected to climb.

The organization is also making an emergency appeal for donations to help the people of the Philippines. The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) estimates 11.3 million people are affected by Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda). A total of 673,042 people remain displaced (367,744 people in 1,217 evacuation centres and 305,298 people outside the centres).

On Wednesday morning at 10am, Consul General Mr. Neil Frank R. Ferrer is expected to meet and greet the CMAT Rapid Assessment Team, as they gather at Vancouver International Airport to check for their flight bound for the Philippines.

The Air Canada Foundation has generously donated the flights for the four CMAT assessment team members.

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CMAT Rapid Assessment Team deploying to Philippines Wednesday

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CMAT Volunteers check equipment, including the field hospital tent, in anticipation of deployment to the Philippines.

CMAT Volunteers check equipment, including the field hospital tent, in anticipation of deployment to the Philippines.

ASSESSMENT TEAM DEPLOYMENT: 

CMAT has mobilized its Rapid Assessment Team, which will depart for the Philippines early Wednesday morning in response to the catastrophic typhoon which struck the island nation on November 8th.  The four-member team will conduct a needs assessment on the islands of Cebu and Leyte, and the environs, to ascertain the level of devastation, destroyed infrastructure, and health needs of cyclone- affected persons, in order to prepare for the deployment of CMAT’s field hospital and medical personnel.

CMAT needs your help to assist those impacted by the typhoon in the Philippines. Please donate generously by clicking:

Donate Now Through CanadaHelps.org!

 

or by donating your Air Canada Aeroplan miles:

aeroplan logo

 

For those who wish to download a fundraising poster, to print out and post in their community,  please click here:   CMAT Philippines Fundraising Poster

VOLUNTEERING WITH CMAT: 

We thank all interested individuals for their overwhelming offer to volunteer with our organization.  At the present time, we are awaiting the findings of the assessment team, in order to deploy the first medical team.  These findings are key in building the professional profile of our teams of volunteers, as well as to decide the most appropriate equipment and supplies so send to the area.

Minimum Requirements for Volunteering: (Medical and Non-Medical Volunteers)

*A preference will be given to volunteers with disaster experience, and training in Sphere Minimum Standards for Humanitarian Response.  (course is being offered November 16-17, 2013 in Toronto.  Click here to send an email to register!)

– Canadian Passport with minimum 6 months left from expiry.

– Medical volunteers must provide proof of Canadian Professional Registration or Licensure.

– A minimum availability of 3 weeks duration

– Willingness and ability to fund their own travel (fundraising is encouraged through our website, and volunteers can be recognized by submitting their name “in honour” during the donation process).

– An understanding that this is a hardship mission, and will be exhausting.

– Interested volunteers are encouraged  to visit the Canadian Government’s Travel Health website to ensure your vaccinations are up to date.

 

DEPLOYMENT UPDATES

While we strive to distribute regular information to our mailing list and keep our website as up-to-date as possible, other sources of information from CMAT which would be updated more frequently would include Facebook and Twitter.  Please follow us there for rapid up-to-date information!

 

CMAT Rapid Assessment Team on standby for Philippines Typhoon.

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Super-Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines in the early morning hours of November 9, 2013.

Super-Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines in the early morning hours of November 9, 2013.

 

Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda) made landfall in the early hours of November 8th in Eastern Samar province in the Philippines. It had maximum sustained winds of 315 km/hr making it the strongest storm ever to make landfall and the fourth most powerful storm ever recorded in history. Flash floods, landslides and wind damage are reported in Eastern Samar and Leyte provinces. Waves reached 12 to 15 feet in Samar and Leyte.

At least 18 million people live in the worst affected Visayas Region. The Government of the Philippines conducted comprehensive preparedness activities including evacuations of 125,604 people in 22 provinces according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDDRMC).

The cities of Tacloban and Ormoc in Leyte province were the worst hit. Communities in Cebu and Bohol provinces lying close to the Typhoon’s track are still reeling from the impact of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake which hit the area on 15 October 2013. Homes and businesses in Tacloban were destroyed, while the town’s airport has been reported have sustained major damage. Strong winds have interrupted telecommunications, which has limited the information received from the most affected areas, especially Eastern Samar and Leyte. Electricity is out in Tacloban, which raises concerns for access to water, as pumps would be ineffective. The Governor of Leyte stated that power lines were down, roads impassable and that there is need for food, flash lights and other non-food items.

CMAT’s Disaster Rapid Assessment Team response has been activated, and is standing by, pending further developments. Skilled and highly experienced CMAT volunteers who have previously responded to disasters in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan and Haiti are ready to deploy, depending on need, and include paramedics, and experienced Emergency Nurses and Nurse Practitioners. CMAT collaborates directly with the local community and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), and has the capability to deploy a fully equipped, inflatable field hospital, and water purification equipment anywhere in the world within 24 to 48 hours.

CMAT appeals to its supporters to donate towards the relief effort.

Please donate generously at http://www.canadahelps.org/dn/16574 or

Click here:

Donate Now Through CanadaHelps.org!

OCHA releases Flash Update on Philippines earthquake – over 100 people confirmed dead.

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People walk along a damaged road in the province of Bohol on Tuesday, October 15. (AP Photo)

People walk along a damaged road in the province of Bohol on Tuesday, October 15. (AP Photo)

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines island of Bohol early Tuesday morning, a little after 8am local time. The effects of the quake was felt in Cebu city which is about 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of the epicenter.

The Philippines Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) have confirmed four people killed in Bohol province and two in Cebu. Several structures in Bohol, including churches and homes have been damaged. In Cebu, a church collapsed along with an open market. Mactan airport in Cebu has also suffered damage with several cracks appearing on the runway. Seaports in Bohol and Cebu are affected. In response, the local government has mobilized quick response teams and is assessing further damage.

CMAT continues to monitor for further developments.

For more information, visit the website of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs