The Disasters Emergency Committee has launched an appeal for the Philippines, just three days after the super typhoon Haiyan struck the archipelago.

By yesterday all but one of the 14 member agencies of the Disasters Emergency Committee had launched their individual appeals following the devastating typhoon which has left many thousands dead and millions stranded in the south east Asian country. Action Aid was the only one of the charities not to have launched its own appeal for the Philippines as it does not work in the country, instead it was asking for donations for dealing with the impact of Haiyan in neighbouring Vietnam, where it does have operations.

DEC’s appeal will begin this evening, with broadcasts on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Channel Five and other broadcasters.

Saleh Saeed, DEC chief executive, compared the destruction in Tacloban city to that of the Boxing Day tsunami. “There is currently no food, water or electricity. We can only imagine how much worse the situation will be for families living in towns and remote cities, he said.

The DEC has set up a 24-hour hotline (0370 60 60 900) to accept donations, but is also soliciting £5 gifts via texts. Donors will also be able to make donations at local post offices and banks or via post.

The turnaround of this appeal is vastly quicker than DEC managed for previous emergency appeals, including Syria, Gaza and the Pakistani floods. 

To find out more about how to donate to the DEC appeal click here.