Singapore, 2 November 2020 - In response to the storm surges and torrential floods that affected communities in Southeast Asia, the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) will be launching a public fundraising appeal to aid disaster relief and recovery operations in these countries.

The SRC will also contribute SGD50,000 to Philippine Red Cross to support its disaster relief efforts for Super Typhoon Goni. This contribution comes on the back of the SRC’s earlier contribution on 20 October, of USD75,000  to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (USD$25,000 respectively), for food (rice, instant-noodle, canned-fish and soy-sauce) and non-food (mosquito net and blanket) relief items, water purification units, and disaster prevention interventions; as well as short-term recovery projects such as the rehabilitation of latrines, and livelihood (agriculture and livestock) support for those affected.

Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General and CEO of Singapore Red Cross, said, “The successive typhoons and heavy rains have exacerbated the already-challenging situation caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming weeks and we must work together to prevent this humanitarian crisis from escalating further. We stand in solidarity with the Red Cross volunteers in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos who are working round-the-clock on this complex response in the face of the simultaneous climate and health emergencies.”

Since the start of October, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have experienced heavy rainfall due to the monsoon season. The arrival of tropical storms Nangka and Linfa have triggered flash floods and landslides; destroying a significant number of buildings; including schools, houses and health centers; agricultural land and livestocks. Last week, Typhoon Molave, one of the worst major storms to hit Vietnam in the past 20 years, left about 40 people dead and many others injured or missing after it made landfall. The world’s strongest typhoon of 2020, Typhoon Goni made landfall in the Philippines over the weekend, causing volcanic debris to become a devastating and deadly flow of lahar, causing rivers to overflow and destroying dikes. The Singapore Red Cross will continue to monitor the situation to make an assessment of the type of relief it can assist with subsequently.

Southeast Asia Floods Response

If you wish to donate towards humanitarian aid for displaced survivors, or recovery and resilience efforts:

• Click here to make an online donation

Or via:

• PayNow to UEN S86CC0370EGEN or scan the QR code

Please indicate "Southeast Asia Floods 2020" in the remarks. This appeal ends on 2 December 2020. 

Notes:

• Donations to overseas efforts are not tax-deductible.
• In the event that donations exceed the expenses incurred by Singapore Red Cross in this specific disaster response, any surplus or unspent money, after 3 years from the date of inception of the fund, can be used to prepare for and serve communities affected by other disasters or may be used to complement or to sustain projects undertaken by SRC in helping the vulnerable in areas affected by disasters.

Photo Credit: Philippine Red Cross Society