An emergency shipment of medicines and supplies is ready to leave Direct Relief’s warehouse today for the Philippines, scheduled to be in the hands of a team of doctors treating people affected by Typhoon Bopha by Monday morning.

Typhoon Bopha, locally known as Pablo, tore across the southern Philippine islands Dec. 4, leaving  loss of life and severe infrastructure damage caused by floods, mudslides, and heavy winds reaching 93 mph.

As emergency crews continue to sort through the wreckage left by Typhoon Bopha last week, the official death toll has reached 900.  The vast majority of deaths and missing persons reports are on the southern island of Mindanao, where nearly 150,000 homes were destroyed.  Emergency response efforts are focused on the basic needs of the 80,000 people reportedly in shelters.

The team of 24 doctors from Philos Health who will carry Direct Relief’s support medicines are headed to the city of Davao on the island of Mindanao, one of the areas hit hardest by Typhoon Bopha. Supplies include basic medications to treat high blood pressure, viral infections, bacterial infections, and fungal infections.

Many of the affected areas on Mindanao are among the most impoverished and least stable in the Philippines.  Those on the island had already been hit by Tropical Storm Washi, which brought catastrophic damage to Mindanao one year ago and resulted in over 1,200 deaths and severe damages to crops and infrastructure.