victims Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Canadian Medical Assistance Teams

CMAT Assessment team completes survey of central Leyte

2013 - Philippines Super Typhoon Haiyan

CMAT Assessment Team members Martin Metz and Marty Quintia assess the infrastructure damage in Ormoc, Leyte.

Ormoc, Leyte, Philippines – Sunday November 17, 2013: The Assessment team arrived into the devastated region of Leyte early Sunday morning, and completed a survey of the city of Ormoc, as well as several rural villages in the environs.

The devastation in the region was nearly total, as homes and businesses could not withstand the wrath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which struck the region on November 8^th. Trees were toppled like toothpicks, and debris such as roofing material and branches clogged roads. The electrical grid took the brunt of this storm, and early speculation is that power will not be restored to the island until at least the end of December.

The team visited the Ormoc District Hospital (ODH), the only public hospital in the city, and found that the majority of the structure did not survive the storm. Even though the roof had been blown off, and windows smashed, patients continued to pour in, and were being treated in a makeshift manner in the hospital lobby. The team encountered representatives from Mercy Malaysia and MSF, who had decided to set up their base of operations there, and will be converting the existing emergency room into an operating theatre and delivery room, while setting their field hospital tent up in the front yard of the ODH. At present, there is no projected timeframe for the rehabilitation of this facility.

The team continued on and visited Rural Health Units in Merida and Isabel, west of Ormoc, both of which were being staffed by redeployed Filipino staff from other provinces. Both indicated that while they were seeing an influx of patients, the more seriously ill or injured patients had already travelled directly to Ormoc to seek treatment.

The wrath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) is evident on the buildings of Ormoc. Roof sheets torn off by the wind are wrapped around trees.

The team then returned to Ormoc, and toured the Ormoc Sugar Planters Association Farmer’s Hospital (OSPA). This facility unfortunately lost 9 patients during the height of the storm, 4 when the ventilators lost power, and five when the roof collapsed. Similar to other facilities in the city, this hospital continues to see patients in a makeshift triage and emergency room housed in the lobby.

CMAT continues to liaiase with the World Health Organization and Filipino Department of Health – Health Cluster to evaluate the best and most appropriate locations with the highest needs, in anticipation of the arrival and deployment of the field hospital and first medical team in the coming days.

CMAT thanks its supporters for their generous donations. We continue to encourage the generosity of our donors by contributing to our Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) Relief fund at http://www.canadahelps.org/dn/16574

We also continue to accept donated Air Canada Aeroplan miles, please consider donating as part of the Beyond Miles Aeroplan Campaign. For more information, you can visit: http://beyondmiles.aeroplan.com/eng/charity/252.

CMAT Assessment Team completes initial survey of Northern Cebu

2013 - Philippines Super Typhoon Haiyan

The CMAT Assessment team stops at Daanbantayan District Hospital in northern Cebu, to assess the infrastructure and damage caused by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)

Daanbantayan, Cebu Province – Saturday November 16, 2013: The CMAT Assessment today travelled to the northern tip of Cebu island, which was in the direct path of Typhoon Yolanda, and was devastated late last week. The team spent the day assessing the infrastructure, trying to ascertain what level of assistance may be needed in the region.

Leaving Cebu, life appears to have continued on as normal. As anticipated though, there was a distinctive ‘line in the sand’, where the edge of the storm had its brunt. After this line, the destruction was immense. Trees were snapped in half, electrical and phone poles were toppled, roofs were completely blown off, and most thatched huts were flattened. That being said, the resiliency of the people was astounding. People are already repairing their homes. Unfortunately, there were a significant number of children begging along the side of the road… hands reaching out and yelling at all passing vehicles. Also unfortunate was our observation of some vehicles throwing candy out the window.

Initial survey findings however, indicated that this resilient population was coping well, and that local providers, as well as teams from Israel and France were meeting the health needs of the population in this area.

The assessment team continues its assessment in the affected regions, and is departing early in the morning for the island province of Leyte to continue its assessment.

CMAT continues to appeal to the public to help us provide medical relief for the affected population. Please visit CanadaHelps to contribute to our relief efforts. Air Canada Aeroplan miles are also being collected, through the Beyond Miles program

CMAT Executive Director visits memorial for Chinese Earthquake victims

2008 - China Earthquake, Deployments

CMAT Executive Director Valerie Rzepka honoured the memory of those lost in the the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, by visiting the town of Beichuan, preserved as a memorial to the earthquake victims, and laying flowers on behalf of Canadians at the central memorial site.

May 27, 2010 – Beichuan County, Sichuan, China – CMAT Executive Director Valerie Rzepka honoured the memory of those lost in the the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, by visiting the town of Beichuan, preserved as a memorial to the earthquake victims, and laying flowers on behalf of Canadians at the central memorial site. “Seeing the immensity of the destruction even now, two years later, is very emotional. There are children buried in the public school and entire families lost who will never be recovered.”