Int'l Red Cross increases emergency appeal for typhoon victims in Phl

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Friday announced here to increase its emergency appeal for the rehabilitation of devastated areas hit by Typhoon Haiyan last November in Central Philippines to about $139 million.

The organization said that the reason why they revised the appeal, which was about $79.8 dollars before, was to meet the long term recovery needs of 100,000 families (500,000 people) over the next two years.

"Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes and their livelihoods .. they need help to rebuild their lives", said Marcel Fortier, the IFRC's head of delegation in the Philippines.

"The Red Cross is committed to providing ongoing support in the years ahead but we urgently need donors to scale-up their contributions", he said.

According to IFRC, at present, about 50 percent of the appeal target has been met.

Under the revised appeal, the IFRC will provide 50,000 families with more durable shelter solutions, and help 55,500 families to restore their livelihoods through cash grants. In addition to that, 100,000 families will be targeted under an extensive health program, the organization said.

Typhoon Haiyan, which swept the Central Philippine region of Visayas on November 8, 2013, damaged or destroyed over 1.21 million homes and affected more than 3.4 million families there. It is estimated that the typhoon had a serious impact on the livelihoods of 5.9 million people.