Turkey helping typhoon victims

CEBU, Philippines - Turkey has sent assistance to the Philippines in the wake of the deadliest typhoon hitting the Visayas.

Right after super typhoon Yolanda struck the country, Turkish Prime Minister Recap Tayyip Erdogan had ordered for a Turkish humanitarian aid to the Philippines.

He also asked Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay to fly to the Philippines to convey his condolences and to assess the situa-tion for further help.

With 65 tons of  aid consisting of nearly 500 family tents, 550 kitchen sets and over 5,000 blankets, the A330 cargo plane chartered from the Turkish Airlines arrived in Manila Monday afternoon.

On board were Atalay, the head of AFAD, Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency, and high ranking officials of  the Turkish Red Crescent.

Atalay and his team handed over the assistance to the Philippine Red Cross Tuesday morning.

They were briefed by PRC chairman Richard J. Gordon about the scale of  the disaster and the immediate needs of the victims.

Atalay also met with Vice President Jejomar C. Binay in his office and offered their condolences.

“We are ready to provide further help as much as we can to alleviate the suffering of  the victims of this huge natural disaster,” Atalay said.

Speaking at the typhoon Yolanda Action Plan meeting held at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Atalay stressed the importance of international solidarity in times of disasters and the effective management of the relief operation.

He said a Turkish search and rescue team and a team of medics will be dispatched to the typhoon-hit area. (FREEMAN)