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Typhoon Mangkhut: How to Help

A pedestrian among traffic barriers toppled by Typhoon Mangkhut, which barreled into the northern Philippines on Saturday.Credit...Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

Before advancing to strike China, Typhoon Mangkhut, a powerful storm 550 miles wide, pummeled the Philippines, leaving destruction in its path.

Some nonprofits that mobilized after Typhoon Haiyan hit the country five years ago, killing more than 6,000 people, said they were monitoring conditions in the Philippines while also managing their responses to Florence, the tropical storm battering the East Coast of the United States.

If you want to help those affected by the typhoon, we offer some guidance below, and a list of a few of the organizations involved in recovery efforts.

Sending money is almost always the most efficient way to help in a disaster, experts say. Otherwise, valuable time might be lost sorting through a mountain of donated goods that do not serve people’s immediate needs.

Of course, before you donate anything, it’s important to do a little research about an organization’s history and reputation. One way to do so is by checking Charity Navigator, which grades established charities based on transparency and financial health.

The American Red Cross said it was prepared to respond to the typhoon and had sent a disaster leadership team, satellite communications equipment and other resources to Guam, the United States territory in the Pacific, which was struck by Mangkhut.

CARE, which has worked in the Philippines since 1949 providing disaster relief, said it was assessing the effects of the typhoon. “We have seen several damaged houses and blown-off roofs,” Madel Montejo, a member of the group’s Philippines emergency response team, said in an email.

Catholic Relief Services, an international humanitarian organization, said it would provide shelter and distribute food, water and hygiene kits.

Episcopal Relief & Development said that one of its local partners had provided emergency supplies, including food, clothing and building materials, and that congregations and communities were working to repair damaged houses and clear up roads.

GlobalGiving, a nonprofit that redistributes funds to vetted, locally focused groups, said the money it raised would pay for emergency supplies including food, water and medicine.

Oxfam said it had deployed teams since Wednesday to assess the situation and that the greatest reported damage so far involved infrastructure, crops and houses.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance noted that the typhoon would affect an area recently struck by Barijat, a cyclone. The group said it would seek to address “many unmet vital humanitarian needs” like access to food and drinking water as well as sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.

The Philippine Red Cross said it had sent a “humanitarian caravan” of rescue and relief vehicles in anticipation of the storm. The caravan included a water tanker, 10-wheeler trucks, generators, a mobile kitchen, a Humvee with a rescue boat and a water treatment unit.

Relief International said it was prepared to deliver emergency supplies of shelter, water, sanitation and food. The group’s Philippines country director, Jack Morgan, said in a statement that the group had mobilized a rapid response team to assess needs in Cagayan province in northern Luzon.

Save the Children was deploying a five-member emergency team ahead of the storm and had positioned across the country thousands of relief items, such as hygiene kits. “We haven’t seen a typhoon this powerful hit the Philippines in some time,” said Alberto Muyot, the chief executive of Save the Children Philippines.

ShelterBox said it had a team coordinating shelter aid in the Philippines and had enough resources pre-positioned to help 2,000 families, with more on the way.

Unicef said it was ready to provide help to the Philippine government and local government units.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has three disaster management coordinators at the scene of the typhoon, said a committee spokesman, Dan Curran.

World Renew said it had been working in the Philippines since 2013 in response to Typhoon Haiyan and was in contact with a network of responders in the northern Philippines.

Humanity & Inclusion said it was sending teams to assess the damage and provide emergency aid to the most vulnerable people. “The damage is more extensive than expected, and many areas have been affected,” said Reiza Dejito, director of the group’s office in the Philippines.

Here are ways you can also donate to relief efforts for Florence.

Karen Zraick contributed reporting.

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