Scottish Government donates £600,000 to typhoon victims

It had originally been feared that 10,000 had been killed in the tropical storm which ravaged the central Philippines four days ago.

The money will be given to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, who carried out a launch in Glasgow, and will be spent on emergency shelter, food and water in the devastated region, External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop told MSPs.

People should "dig deep" and give all they can to help the millions of people affected by Typhoon Haiyan, she said.

"The devastating pictures from the Philippines can't fail to touch the hearts of all who see them."

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), made up of 14 leading UK aid charities, including the British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children, says it has been "overwhelmed" by the generosity of the public after more than £1.5m was received in donations in the first 15 hours since launching the appeal

The UN launched its appeal for $301m (£190m) to help relief efforts in typhoon-hit areas having already released $25m to address the immediate needs of survivors.

Last night the British Government said it would match the first £5 million donated by members of the public to the Philippines appeal.

Meanwhile the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (Sciaf) has launched a separate emergency appeal to support partner agencies Caritas Philippines and Catholic Relief Services which are already in the country.

"We are in touch with Scotland's aid agencies who inform us that, with reports still coming in from more remote areas, the numbers of people affected may well rise further, " added Ms Hyslop.

"The Scottish Government funding will help our aid agencies support those affected including through the supply of clean water and medical supplies: essential if we are to avoid disease getting hold and making a tragic situation even worse.

"I urge the people of Scotland to dig deep to help support our aid agencies."

Hundreds of thousands of homes have been flattened by the typhoon and the DEC warned that roads had been made impassable, bridges destroyed and airports put out of action, severely hampering relief efforts. In Tacloban City, on the east coast, the destruction is "reminiscent" of the Boxing Day tsunami, it said.

The UN estimates that around 9.8 million people have been affected, including 600,000 who have been displaced from their home.

Chairman of the DEC in Scotland, Norman McKinley, said: "DEC members are doing all they can to get aid through but we urgently need help to minimise the suffering and reach people as quickly as we can. The priorities are getting food, water and shelter to people in desperate need.

"We also greatly welcome the Scottish Government's support, which will enable us to make a huge difference to so many people who have lost everything."

Lorraine Currie, Sciaf's head of international programmes, added: "This is a major disaster that will require a huge humanitarian response over a prolonged period. Work is already under way to get emergency supplies to the survivors of this devastating storm."

Aid worker Katy Martin, 31, from Paisley, is one of four specially trained Red Cross staff who has landed in the country to organise and run an aid distribution warehouse on the island of Cebu.

The UK is deploying a Royal Navy warship and donating £10 million of humanitarian assistance Prime Minister David Cameron said. Britain will also deploy RAF military transport aircraft to aid recovery efforts, earmarking at least one C-17 cargo plane to move humanitarian aid and large equipment.

Meanwhile, Naderev "Yeb" Sano, the Philippines delegate at the UN Climate Change talks that began yesterday has blamed Typhoon Haiyan on climate change, and urged sceptics to "get off their ivory towers".

Mr Sano broke down in tears as he addressed delegates in Warsaw, saying: "What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness.

"We can fix this. We can stop this madness. Right now, right here."