Bangkok – Habitat for Humanity has launched an appeal to assist families affected by Typhoon Hagupit (called Ruby in the Philippines). The storm made first landfall on Samar, an island in the Visayas, Philippines, late in the evening of Saturday 6 December.

According to the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, more than 146,000 families were evacuated in six regions of the Philippines.

“Habitat for Humanity is sheltering evacuated families in Leyte, Cebu and Surigao del Sur provinces of the Philippines. Staff and materials are prepositioned and we will begin to support affected families to repair their homes. The more funds we raise, the more families we can help,” said Rick Hathaway, Habitat for Humanity vice president for Asia-Pacific.

Habitat for Humanity is appealing for funds to assist families and help them rebuild their lives and gain access to decent shelter. Habitat staff are on the ground ready to assess the situation and coordinate with government agencies and other partners on the disaster response operations.

Typhoon Hagupit comes just 13 months after Typhoon Haiyan killed 6,300 people and damaged or destroyed more than one million homes, according to government figures. To date Habitat for Humanity Philippines has supported nearly 28,000 Haiyan-affected families with emergency shelter and shelter repair kits and begun construction of core houses at ten sites in Cebu and Leyte provinces.

Typhoon Hagupit is expected to continue moving across the Philippines.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 4 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and supports a variety of funding models that enable families with limited resources to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow.

As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. Habitat has supported an estimated 1.5 million individuals in the Asia-Pacific region, where it has been active since 1983. To get more information, to donate or to volunteer, visit: www.habitat.org/asiapacific.