MANILA, PHILIPPINES (November 12, 2013) — Funds from Covenant World Relief will help plans to provide emergency food to 7,000 households on the Philippines island province of Leyte following the horrifying destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

The area was one of the hardest hit by the storm and includes the communities of Palo, Abuyog, La Paz, Mahaplag, Macarthur, St Bernard, San Juan, Starita, Tarangnan, Pagsanghan, Ormoc, and the capital city of Tacloban.

The funds are provided through World Relief International to partner agency Philippine Relief and Development Services, Inc. (PHILRADS), which is the relief and development arm of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches.

“They broadly represent the evangelical churches in the Philippines and have a great deal of expertise and experience in disaster response and community development,” said CWR Director Dave Husby.

Covenant World Relief has set up a special Philippines Disaster response page to receive donations.

A report supplied by PHILRADS outlines a disaster response plan which the agency had set in motion before the storm, locally known as Yolanda, struck. It also “immediately mobilized volunteers in Metro Manila to repack goods at the Department of Social Work and Development National Relief Operations Center that were airlifted to storm victims.”

PHILRADS is working in collaboration with government and faith-based organizations as well as churches. PHILRADS and World Relief will provide relief goods to unreached far-flung areas beyond the numerous damaged roads and bridges.

The Jesus Evangelical Covenant Church of the Philippines is continuing to assess opportunities to provide assistance as well.

CWR also is working with Medical Teams International, which already has teams on the ground providing care, Husby said. For further updates, follow the CWR blog.