BERLIN - The German Red Cross has loaded another aid flight for the victims of typhoon "Haiyan" which is expected to start Tuesday from the airport Berlin-Schoenefeld for the Philippines.
The German Red Cross said that the plane is expected to fly directly to the island of Cebu and carries a total of 53 tonnes of cargo, among them supplies for the water and hygienic sustainance for about 20,000 people.
"The need is immense and tremendous. So we will have to continue in bringing in supplies from here as well as from the region," said the head for international cooperation of the German Red Cross, Christof Johnen. "And that is on the water and sanitation sector but as well of course shelter is an immense problem and a tremendous challenge there. As well as food and basic health services that have to be provided."
Johnen said that the co-ordination is going rather well. But what remains a major challenge is the logistics. "You have a number of islands, although roads are cleared, more and more. Accessing really the people in remote areas remains a challenge and that will be our focus for the next weeks."
The cargo is complimented by two so called inter-agency emergency health kits, which includes basic medicines and other medical supplies for roughly 60,000 people for a month, said Johnen.
In addition to the supplies, the cargo plane will also carry building materials for a co-ordination centre as well as three Red Cross off-road vehicles.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
