The United States government is supporting the delivery of relief supplies to Typhoon Lawin-affected communities in northern Luzon through an ongoing three-year, $2-million partnership between the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, the Government of the Philippines, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

Under the partnership, which began in 2013, USAID and WFP support the Government of the Philippines, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), to bolster disaster readiness and enhance access to vital relief materials during disasters. As part of the response to Typhoon Lawin, WFP drew on USAID funding to transport 745 metric tons (745,000 kilograms) of relief items to northern Luzon, including 75,000 family food packs, blankets, generators, solar lamps, and safe drinking water in-country.

Since 2011, USAID support, through WFP, has helped disaster-prone areas in the Philippines by working with national and local government entities, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations to better prepare for and respond to disasters.