Flash floods caused by Tropical Storm Washi have killed more than 400 people on the southern Philippines Island of Mindanao. The Catholic Relief Services office in Davao is sending a team to Cagayan de Oro City, site of some of the most severe devastation, to assess urgent needs. We are working with our partners, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and Xavier University.
The CRS Newswire will provide updates as more information is available.
CRS Philippines is our oldest continuously operating program. Prompted by the mass destruction and loss of life in the Philippines during World War II, Catholic Relief Services, then called War Relief Services, first launched relief efforts in that country in 1945. Just 1 year later, the agency was providing supplies to more than 800,000 people.
Today, CRS focuses on agroenterprise and peacebuilding programs in Mindanao and is ready to respond in the aftermath of natural disasters.
