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Helping Children Cope Following Deadly Mudslide in the Philippines
Westport, CT -
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Soldiers look for survivors after a mudslide in central Philippines. Reuters/Bobby Yip, courtesy www.alertnet.org |
(February 19, 2006) Save the Children is working to assist children and families in the central Philippines following a huge mudslide that killed hundreds of people in the village of Guinsaugon on Friday.
As many as 1,800 people are missing and feared dead in the village of Guinsaugon. Hundreds of additional families have been evacuated from their homes in nearby villages following the disaster.
The mudslide, which struck without warning Friday morning, virtually wiped out the village including an elementary school where more than 200 children were attending classes. Authorities are concerned that nearby villages are also at risk of flash floods and mudslides after two weeks of heavy rains.
Save the Children staff members are working with other humanitarian organizations and government officials in providing basic necessities including adequate food, water, and clothing at evacuation centers set up to assist families forced to evacuate their homes. The agency will distribute emergency kits to families that include soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bottled water, and other essential items.
Save the Children also is preparing to provide special assistance to children following the disaster by creating safe play areas for displaced children and offering other activities that help children cope in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
Save the Children is seeking $480,000 in private donations to support its efforts to provide assistance to displaced children and their families.
“There could be a risk to other nearby villages,” said Rudy Von Bernuth, who heads Save the Children USA’s emergency response efforts. “Our staff has told us that additional mudslides or floods are possible due to the recent very heavy rains.”
During the past two weeks, Leyte island, where Guinsaugon is located, has experienced continuous rainfail. The affected area lies in a valley adjacent to a mountain. Survivors say they felt the ground shake and heard a roar just prior to the mudslide.
