International Religious Organization Helps Towns Affected By Volcanic Eruption Iglesia Ni Cristo

MANKAYAN, Benguet – Pocket miners from the different parts of this mining town had delivered to a number of evacuation centers in the various areas affected by the eruption of the scenic Taal Volcano the relief goods that their associations were able to generate over the past two weeks. On the base are some villages relying on fishing in Taal Lake and agriculture in the fertile soil of Volcano Island. Fresnedi called for the public to continue to stand in prayer for the safety of affected families in Batangas and encouraged city residents to participate in donation drives.

More than 450,000 people are estimated to live within the volcano's danger zone, the Official United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. More than 376,000 people fled to safety from ash-blanketed towns and cities in hard-hit Batangas province.

Residents from Barangay Alas-as, Pulang Bato in San Nicolas, and Zone 4 of Talisay, whose homes and livelihood were destroyed by the Taal ashfall, were among those Road Trip transferred to the site. The local government of Batangas has declared a state of calamity on January 13, 2 PM PHT.

Taal Volcano is one of the most accessible in Luzon island, and many tourists, local and foreign, go here, usually in package tours from Tagaytay. The Philippine Red Cross has opened numerous evacuation centers to support the more than 24,000 who have already evacuated and deployed thousands of disaster workers including a Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment team.

According to the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, the communities urgently need donations including N95 face masks, food, mats, hygiene kits, gensets and generous amounts of drinking water. For Donations to Relief Operations of the Provincial Government of Batangas in #TaalVolcano:1.

The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, which includes top Philippines companies, "is coordinating with its private sector members who are providing road clearing and mobile service support, water, food, face masks, and other relief items," OCHA Philippines also says.