Tan Yan Kee Foundation, Inc. noted public weather reports that in terms of sheer strength and scope of destruction, Typhoon Lando was the worst storm to hit the Philippines in 2015.
   | Thus, after confirming reports of destruction in most parts of Northern Luzon, TYKFI closely monitored damages and prepared to bring prompt relief assistance to selected towns. Since some of the most widespread flooding and power outages were reported in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga, TYKFI immediately sent the Hope Caravan calamity assistance team to bring relief items to the most affected areas of these provinces. More than 1,000 families received relief packs while 50 families were provided with roofing materials from the Foundation in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya. Meanwhile, Hope Caravan was able to reach the flood-prone town of San Luis, Pampanga to distribute relief items as well. A total of 1,500 families received relief packs in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija and San Luis, Pampanga. In Cabanatuan City, the team of volunteers from the Philippine National Bank were able to get first-hand accounts from affected victims living in low-lying villages who were trapped in their homes and on rooftops. TYKFI’s Hope Caravan also visited the hardest-hit coastal towns of Baler and Casiguran and started to coordinate with local officials on the selection of the Foundation’s relief beneficiaries. The first batch of relief assistance was distributed to pupils of the Casiguran Central School whose school supplies were damaged or swept away by the strong winds and floods. Each of the 500 student beneficiaries from the Casiguran Central School received a school supplies package which included a school bag, notebooks, pad paper and ballpen/pencil. Lando approached the country as a Super Typhoon—comparable in strength to Yolanda—but weakened into a Typhoon upon landfall. Despite the downgrade, Lando still poured intense rain and wreaked havoc even westward on the towns of Ilocos Sur. After the Foundation discovered many totally- and partially- damaged homes in the towns of Sta. Cruz and Tagudin, Hope Caravan also distributed various supplies and food items to the affected residents of the two municipalities. A total of 400 families received relief packs and 476 families received roofing materials from the Foundation in Sta. Cruz and Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. The set of relief items given to each family was based on the damages officially reported by the local government. Each package could be a combination of any of the following items: mosquito nets, blankets with pillow cases, school supplies for schoolchildren, galvanized iron sheets and other roofing materials. |