THE UNITED States has donated an additional P11.5 million worth of COVID-19 supplies and humanitarian aid to disaster-hit Surigao del Norte, according to a statement released by its embassy in Manila on Thursday.
“USAID (United States Agency for International Development) has been a steady and reliable partner as we pick up from the devastating effects of the typhoon and rebuild lives as we continue to grapple with the pandemic,” Surigao del Norte Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers said in the statement.
Surigao del Norte, which includes Siargao Island, was among the worst hit provinces by Typhoon Rai, locally known as Odette, in December 2021.
The USAID made the visit to Siargao Island on September 27, where 28,000 rapid antigen test kits, 10 generator sets and field tents, 22 laptops and routers, 50 oxygen tanks, 10 oxygen concentrators, and vital sign monitoring equipment were handed over to local authorities.
USAID has so far provided a total of P1.7 billion in emergency humanitarian relief assistance and COVID-19 medical equipment and laboratory supplies to communities affected by Typhoon Odette. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan