A massive Category 3 typhoon made landfall in the central Philippines late Saturday. The entire area is being battered with heavy rains and winds just one year after Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the region.
Typhoon Hagupit, meaning “lash” in Filipino, came ashore on eastern Samar Island just before 10 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) with winds of 205 kph (127 mph) — the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.
About 40 million people are in the path of the storm’s winds. Though the storm will weaken as it moves over land, it is expected to remain a typhoon before it moves out to sea on Tuesday. The storm is moving slowly and will take three more days to travel past the Philippine capital of Manila. Extreme amounts of rainfall and gusting winds have already forced more than 600,000 people to evacuate.
Team Rubicon has assembled a 4-person reconnaissance team that departed on Friday for Manila. Their mission is to survey damaged areas and work with local partner organizations to determine the greatest areas of need. They will also recommend back to HQ whether a larger follow-up response from Team Rubicon will be required.
Update from Tacloban
Team Rubicon and Never Settle are no stranger to the Philippines. Team Rubicon was one of the first non-governmental organizations to respond to Typhoon Haiyan on the ground, just over a year ago. Never Settle helped fund their deployment of volunteers in response to that cyclone, focusing on the hard-hit city of Tacloban and surrounding towns. 100 volunteers treated over 2,100 patients with emergency medical care.
Fortunately, Tacloban is much better prepared for typhoon Hagupit. The streets were empty on Saturday because residents had already evacuated. Last year, super typhoon Haiyan devastated Tacloban, killing more than 6,000 people and leaving around 200,000 people homeless.
World Change 2014
Never Settle is hosting World Change 2014 on December 14 to celebrate our innate ability to change the world. We have already fundraised $20,000 total with $5,000 supporting Team Rubicon volunteers in the Philippines. But there is still much to be done to ensure the safety of millions. You can make a difference in the world today. Join us.
