The UAE has pledged more than $9.5 million of crucial aid to help the Philippines recover from Supertyphoon Goni which devastated the country this week.
At least 16 people were killed and tens of thousands of homes destroyed when the typhoon – which reached speeds of 225kmph – tore through the island of Luzon on Sunday.
A delegation from the UAE travelled to Manila, the country’s capital, to deliver emergency items including large quantities of shelter material such as tents and tarpaulins.
The mission was carried out on the orders of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, in collaboration with Emirates Red Crescent (ERC).
Ferocious winds and heavy rain caused chaos on the island earlier this week and triggered major flooding and landslides across southern parts of the country.
Power lines also went down which left many people without electricity and running water for days.
A ERC spokesman said field reports were being carried out to decipher what additional aid would be needed over the coming days.
While phase one of the humanitarian aid programme focused on sending emergency shelter for those left displaced by the typhoon, the UAE will be sending food and medical equipment as it continues to help the country recover from the natural disaster.
News agencies reported that nearly 400,000 people fled their homes before the typhoon and most of them remain in evacuation centres as authorities scramble to restore power and telecoms services in the hardest-hit areas.
The storm is the most powerful typhoon to make landfall on the islands since 2013, when Typhoon Haiyan killed at least 6,000 people.
