ZSL is providing emergency assistance to some of the areas worst-affected by Typhoon Haiyan and last month’s earthquake in the Philippines — areas that have been otherwise overlooked by the international relief effort.

The situation

Two massive natural disasters — a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, followed by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst tropical storms on record — have hit the Philippines over the past three weeks. They have caused widespread devastation across the central part of the country, including coastal communities and conservation projects run by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and long-term partner Project Seahorse (www.projectseahorse.org).

These towns and villages in Bantayan (northern Cebu), Panay, and Danajon Bank — about 40 in total — have been overlooked by the national relief and recovery effort, so we have organised an emergency response based on our intimate local knowledge of the areas and strong relationships with the people there.

Early reports from our field staff indicate that over 2,000 households in Danajon Bank alone have been badly affected by the earthquake. Typhoon damage in the Bantayan Island Group in Northern Cebu and in the Ajuy and Capiz regions of Panay are extensive, with 80-100% of homes destroyed. We cannot yet begin to deduce the situation for marine resources and conservation.

See photos of the destruction and news of the relief effort so far at www.projectseahorse.org/blog. 

How you can help

With advice from international relief agencies, our local field staff have been providing emergency support in the form of relief packs containing food, clean water, basic medicines, hygiene materials and nails/tarpaulins to help repair or rebuild homes. The relief distribution is also providing an opportunity for experts from our team to evaluate the damage both to the communities and to the coastal ecosystems. These are the first steps towards recovery as we help these communities to rebuild their lives and rehabilitate the ecosystems they depend on for survival.

Thank you for your help in supporting our relief and recovery efforts for those poor fishing communities in the Philippines whose lives have been devastated!

Here are just some of the ways that your donations are making a difference:

£4.25/$6.75 provides a relief pack for a household, containing food, water and basic medical and hygiene supplies. 

£80/$127 rents a boat to transport and distribute relief packs to isolated coastal communities. 

£230/$366 provides building materials to repair a house.

Thank you for your help in supporting our relief and recovery efforts for those poor fishing communities in the Philippines whose lives have been devastated