First major consignment of Haiyan aid reaches 776 families on Cebu Island

Emergency food, water and hygiene kits were distributed to 776 families (4000 people) in a typhoon-ravaged area of Cebu Island today, following a major relief operation by World Vision. 

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Four trucks hauled the 25 tonnes of supplies into remote villages in the hills of Tabugon Municipality, five hours north of Cebu City. 

The sacks handed to families included 15kg of rice, beans, cans of sardines, cooking oil, clean drinking water and hygiene supplies. They were sourced locally and put together with the help of a supermarket in the region. 

Cecil LaGuardia, Emergency Specialist for World Vision, said: "The distribution was a success and [these] families now have enough food, but it's just the start. There are more communities on the island who have been terribly affected and are in desperate need.

"The damage from the typhoon could be seen everywhere and everyone queuing for food today had a dramatic story to tell. 

"The community has shown incredible resilience and patience, particularly as many roads have been impassable and it has taken time to get this aid though to those who need it most." 

The villages had already been attended by a World Vision assessment team who determined that the area had been badly hit by Typhoon Haiyan, and that residents had suffered further because of existing levels of poverty. 

More distributions are planned in the coming days. The immediate need is food and water, followed by emergency accommodation. 

World Vision aims to reach 400,000 people in its relief effort. The agency has been working in the Philippines for 55 years and has 500 staff in the country.