Catholic organizations in the Philippines and other countries are rushing aid to victims of Typhoon Ketsana which struck the country on Sept. 26.

Over 240 people have been reported dead and at least 500,000 left homeless after the powerful typhoon struck Manila and 27 provinces, wreaking havoc as torrential downpours caused the worst flooding in the Philippines in over 40 years.

In Las Pinas City south of Manila, vans loaded with mineral water, foodstuffs, clothes, medicines and other supplies started arriving from neighboring parishes just hours after Sano Cristo parish priest, Father Lambert Legaspino issued a call for help in the wake of the typhoon.

The goods were immediately distributed to some 170 families. Many had not eaten since Saturday, when the typhoon dumped what the national weather bureau said was the equivalent of a month’s rain in just six hours.

Joyce Trinidad, secretary of Jesus the Divine Healer Parish in Paranaque’s Tahanan Village, also south of Manila, said residents sent trays of boiled eggs, cooked saba bananas, and sandwiches in the hundreds.

In most parishes in Paranaque diocese, cash donations were also pouring in after appeals for the poor in the diocese were sounded in last Sunday’s Masses.

The sorting and packing of goods are in full swing. Using the cash donations, parish pastoral council officers are busy procuring food and supplies like slippers, toothbrushes and toothpaste. But supermarkets are running low on supplies, said Church volunteer Noemi Poblador.

In Resurrection of Our Lord parish, also in Paranaque, parish pastoral council president Doy Altea said the council has set up a collection center at their Veritas Parochial School near the church. Resurrection parish was not affected by the floods.

Altea said donations are going to flood victims in Santo Cristo and other parishes in the diocese, except for clothing which is being sent to Ateneo National Disaster Center in Quezon City, northeast of Manila.

Underscoring local efforts to help the homeless, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has opened the doors of the Malacanang presidential palace to an initial 97 evacuees, offering them shelter in the hallways on the ground floor of Mabini Hall.

Palace officials said as many as 500 people can be housed there. Basic amenities for the evacuees are being built and other buildings at the palace are being readied for a further influx of evacuees.

Meanwhile, the official overseas development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has been quick to respond to the disaster.

The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development’s (CAFOD) is rushing in an initial £20,000 (US$32,000) to support the work of its partner, Caritas Philippines, according to a CAFOD press release.

Caritas Philippines, according to the statement, responded immediately to the crisis by providing relief packages of food, cooking utensils, shelter and personal hygiene items to 10,000 families from five of the seriously affected areas.

Caritas has also mobilized the students and personnel of St. Paul University in Manila, where classes have been suspended. More emergency relief packages will be sent out as the number of affected families increase, a Caritas official said.

Caritas Philippines Executive Director Rosanne B Mallillin said: “The situation is very challenging. Many of our local social action centers are still unable to reach the worst-hit areas because of the debris and the flooding. People are in need of food and clean water as many of the water sources have been contaminated. We’re also sending cooking utensils, sleeping mats and bed sheets.”

In London, CAFOD’s head of Asia programs, Colette Fearon said: “The intensity of the storm has affected hundreds of thousands of people and the situation is chaotic and desperate. It’s vital that people are able to reach shelter and get basic supplies. Our partners, who are very experienced in emergencies, are doing everything humanly possible to ensure this happens.

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