Manila, Philippines, Nov 11, 2013 / 17:30 pm
In the devastating wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Caritas, a relief agency of the Church, has rushed to support victims through the distribution of food and first aid materials.
"The devastation is awful and the situation is outrageously bad at the moment," said Gilda Avedillo, program officer for Caritas Manila's disaster risk reduction and management program.
Avedillo told CNA on Nov. 11 that basic food items, as well as non-food items such as clothing and medicine, are on "priority" rush and that "efforts are underway for speedy distribution."
On Nov. 8, one of the strongest storms in recorded history, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda, struck the island nation with sustained winds of 147 miles per hour and gusts as strong as 170 miles per hour, the BBC reported.