Nearly two months after Typhoon Yolanda battered 12,129 barangays in the country’s 44 provinces, 57 cities, 591 municipalities in Regions IV-A, IV-B, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas,Northern Mindanao, Davao Region and CARAGA, remain essentially the same. With victims of the super typhoon still facing

hunger, homelessness, economic dislocation and joblessness the Samahang Opera-syong Sagip (SOS) continues its efforts to help them recover.

The third batch of relief and medical missions were conducted in three municipalities of Eastern Samar-- Quinapondan, Giporlos and Balangiga. A total of 75 people joined the relief and medical mission. They were divided into two medical mission teams and one relief distribution team. There were four doctors, five nurses, three medical interns, two psycho-social therapists, health workers and non-health volunteers from Manila, Leyte-Samar, Southern Mindanao Region, United States of America and Canada.

Like in the last two missions, affected population in far-flung barangays outside the town centers who have received few or no relief and medical assistance were chosen for the medical missions. A total of 1,121 patients from 14 barangays in the munici-pality of Giporlos (455 patients); Barangays Kalian and Anislag in the municipality of Quinapondan (179 patients); and, Barangays Cansumangkay and Ginmayuhan in

SOS OFFICERS

TYPHOON YOLANDA SERIES 3 l JANUARY 2014

Third Wave of Relief and Medical Operations Held in Eastern Samar

SOS CONTINUES TYPHOON YOLANDA RESPONSE

ABOUT S.O.S.

PRESIDENT: Rosalinda C. Tablang VICE PRESIDENT: Maristela P. Abenojar, RN, MANSECRETARY: Chris Ian MoralesTREASURER: Imelda G. Gerali, RN

BOARD MEMBERS:Eleanor A. Jara, MDRemy YsmaelRolando LibangBernard Flores

S.O.S.STANDS FOR SAMAHANG OPERASYONG SAGIP.

It is a network of volunteer health workers, professionals, and students, aiming to render assistance to disaster victims through relief and medical missions.

It was formed in the early ‘90s in response to the big earthquake and the lahar flows of Mt. Pinatubo.

You may contact us through (+632) 929-8109 or sos.phils@gmail.com

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SOS 2014

the municipality of Balangiga were served. The most common medical cases included upper respiratory tract infections, acute gastro-en-teritis and hypertension, tension headache among adults; and fever, diarrhea, cough and colds among children. These ailments were also observed in the first and second waves of SOS medical missions in Eastern, Western Samar and Leyte provinces.

Twelve psycho-social therapy ses-sions among children and mothers in the selected barangays of Qui-napondan, Giporlos and Balangiga were conducted by the mission team. There were nine therapy sessions for children and 3 the-rapy batches for mothers, bene-fitting a total of 550 children and 150 mothers. The psycho-social

team effectively made use of play therapy (for children and adults), experience sharing and exercise methods (for adults) to help them process what they have gone through with Typhoon Yolanda. Eleven individuals were provided psycho-social counseling.

The relief drive operations on the other hand, benefitted 2,376 fami-lies from 13 selected barangays in the towns of Quinapondan, Gipor-los, and Balangiga. They were able to receive relief packs, clothes, plastic sheets, building materials like nails, saw, and hammers. The mission team also gave hundreds of Christmas Goodies Packs for children. Six water filtration pails were given to representatives of the barangays in the towns of Gi-porlos and Balangiga.

As in the previous relief and medi-cal missions, health risks such as the lack of potable water supply, lack of electricity, nails and poin-ted objects in debris that could lead to disease outbreaks and acci-dents were noted. The number of diagnosed diarrhea cases among children and cases of acute gastro-enteritis among adults proved the risk of a possible disease outbreak.

Most people in affected barangays are trying to rebuild their homes and lives. Yet many barangays es-pecially those far from town cen-ters are still in need of assistance, food, supplies, and construction materials. The affected families shared their hopes that they may be assisted in repairing/recons-tructing their homes and in regai-

Areas Dates Medical Mission (Patients)

Psycho-social therapy sessions

Relief DeliveryOperation (Families)

Quinapondan Town

Dec 18 1792 children sessions: 160

children;1 session for mothers: 50 women

697 Barangay Kalian 139 Barangay Sto Nino 367 Barangay Anislag 191Giporlos Town

Dec 19

455 (patients also came from 7 other

barangays of Giporlos)

4 sessions for children: 240 children;

2 sessions for mothers: 100 women

946 Barangay Huknan 102 Barangay Roxas 142 Barangay Sta Cruz 94 Barangay Poblacion 6 176 Barangay Poblacion 7 289 Barangay San Miguel 84 *Plus 7 more barangays 59Balangiga Town

Dec 20 3 sessions for children: 150 children

733 Barangay Ginmayuhan 230 378

Barangay Cansumangkay

257 278

Barangay Maybunga 57

Barangay Sta. Rosa 20

Total: 3 towns; 13 barangays 1,121 550 children; 150 women 2,376

TYPHOON YOLANDA

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ning their lost livelihood especially in starting up food production and their fishing activity. People’s participation in planning and actual implementation in relief and rehabilitation efforts is important to ensure relevance of relief efforts and medical services.

SOS thus maintains and reiterates the following recommendations: 1. Government’s relief and medical assistance should include far-flung barangays. Many communities es-pecially those located in the upland

received very little assistance while many shared that they have not re-ceived any assistance at all.

2. There is a great need to provide assistance for people to rebuild their homes and communities, through provision of construction materials including GI sheets, nails, hammer, saw, etc. The government should reconsider the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) program of sel-ling GI sheets that is beyond the capacity of the affected population.

3. Immediate and comprehensive health interventions to address potential sources of outbreaks and epidemics. These include immediate clearing of debris, provision of safe/potable water source, construction of shelter, provi-sion/assistance in food production and livelihood.

4. Assistance for livelihood and reha-bilitation- livelihood, food production and economic activities. ##

HOW YOU CAN STILL HELP!1. Volunteer for relief and

medical missions. Samahan Operasyong Sagip (SOS) needs volunteer health professionals. Our next medical missions in Leyte and Samar will be on:

Jan. 16-21, 2014Feb. 7-10, 2014March 7-10, 2014

2. Help in rebuilding the lives and livelihood of the affected families

- Assist in economic rebuilding efforts through provision of agricultural support package in the form of rice and vegetable seeds, root crops; farm animals, farm tools ad farm implements;

-Support the “Balik-Pangingisda” (Back to Fishing) Program through the provision of motorized fishing boats, nets and other fishing paraphernalia; assistance in regaining the fisher folk’s “tahong farming” (mussels farming).

3. Help in shelter rebuilding program for families rendered homeless by Typhoon Yolanda

through the provision of carpentry tools (hammer, saw, pliers, chisel, nails, etc), construction materials (corrugated iron sheets, GI sheets, etc) and kitchen wares.

4. Help in restoring health and general well-being of the affected families through the nutrition improvement program (feeding program), setting up of community-based health program and health committee formation, health center building, sanitation and hygiene (latrine building), safe water system, health education, psycho-social services and building culture of disaster preparedness and management.

5. You, your group and friends can “Adopt an Affected Barangay” and provide any of the above-mentioned support program packages.

For more details, please contact Ms. Mel 0947-453-5788, 929-8109.

We also accept donations. Cash deposits in any amount are welcome. Donations in kind, such as rice, dried fish, canned goods, mung bean, oil, salt, sugar, water and laundry soap are encouraged as well.

For cash donations, please send it through the following bank account:

Samahang Operasyong Sagip, Inc.Metro BankSA # 636-3-63608747-6Swift Code: MBTCPHMMExaminer Quezon Ave. Branch,1517 Ave Maria Bldg,Quezon City, Philippines

For donations-in-kind, these may be brought to:

Council for Health and Development

#8 Mines Street, Brgy. Vasra,Quezon City, Philippines

Please contact us through:(+632) 929-8109sos.phils@gmail.com

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Areas Medical Mission (Patients)

Relief DeliveryOperation (Families)

November 21-25, 2013 Hernani, Eastern Samar 488 892

General MacArthur, Eastern Samar 316Basey, Western Samar 600 456

December 5-9, 2013 Albuera, Leyte 782 308Ormoc, Leyte 454 500Kananga, Leyte 706 608

December 17-21, 2013 Quinapondan, Eastern Samar 179 697Giporlos, Eastern Samar 455 946Balangiga, Eastern Samar 487 733

TOTAL 4,151 5,456

QUICKLIST: SOS TYPHOON YOLANDA RESPONSETo date, a total of 4,151 patients were served in medical missions and 5,456 families were given relief packs in 28 barangays in 6 municipalities of Samar and 7 barangays in 3 municipalities of Leyte by the Samahang Operasyong Sagip teams.