Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the world, plowed across the central Philippines on November 8, 2013. The lethal combination of 175 mph winds and heavy rains brought unprecedented devastation.
Conditions have steadily improved as a result of the resilience of survivors and concerted response by various governments and international and local humanitarian organizations. Thanks to the timely support and generosity from our donors, CARE surpassed the target of reaching 40,000 households in the three worst affected areas in the Visayas region: Leyte, Western Samar and Panay. As of October 2014, CARE assisted 68,170 households (or 318,650 people) with food, shelter and financial assistance. CARE has now transitioned from an emergency to recovery phase, meaning our food distributions have ended and we are focusing on helping more people rebuild their lives through an integrated shelter and livelihoods program approach. Given the scale and scope of the devastation, this form of humanitarian development assistance – helping families build back safer and revive the local economy and livelihoods – will need to be sustained over the coming years to ensure the full recovery of affected communities.
