Paul Williams, MD
Relief for Typhoon Victims
Networking
This tremendous effort involved networking many organizations. After determining the need, I acquired medicine and goods from Kingsway Charities, MAP International and Christian Disaster Response. Aquamira provided water filtration systems at cost. Missionaries Glenn and Nancy Garrision ensured these supplies cleared customs. John Loeffler, on his radio program Steel on Steel, helped raise significant funds.
Devastation
Haiyan was the most powerful typhoon to ever hit landfall with winds clocked up to 235 mph. These chilling words describe the typhoon and wave surge that devastated vast areas of the Philippines. Almost 7,000 people perished. When I first heard the news I immediately wanted to respond.
Clean Water
Fresh drinking water was critical. We shipped two DIVVY portable water purification units capable of treating 2,500 gallons daily. These units are operated by hand pumps and require no electricity, generator or fuel. This made them ideal for the hardest hit and remote areas.
Medical Care
I partnered with Filipino doctors and nurses to conduct two clinics. At the first clinic we examined children from the local school, child-sponsorship program and Happy Horizon’s Children Ranch for sex-trafficked girls. We later held a clinic on the remote Island of Malapascua, that the eye of the typhoon had passed over.
Stories
Water for Life
We came to the Island of Malapascua to set up a medical clinic and to distribute food. On our arrival, we realized bottled water was the only source of clean water and was prohibitively expensive. Most people resorted to boiling water from contaminated wells. This was made even more difficult without electricity.
After the clinic we decided to send a DIVVY water filtration unit. The only way to get it there was by several hours of driving, then ferrying on a catamaran. The island leaders were taught how to work and maintain the unit to supply clean water. I was so pleased to learn that once the DIVVY unit was installed that the price of water came down to 2 cents per gallon!
We Don't Want to Live Here
We drove under a sign that read “We don’t want to live here”. These words greeted us as we entered Cebu City’s garbage dump; home to thousands of poor and desperate Filipino’s scavenging for food and sleeping in makeshift shelters.
Missionary Glenn Garrison through the help of Convoy of Hope regularly brought food for the children. This opened the door to rescue young girls caught up in sex trafficking. Some families would prostitute their own daughters to make enough money for food. The rescued girls were provided a safe home in a loving Christian environment and received clothing, food and education until they graduated high school.
Unexpected Connection
An unexpected surprise came when I discovered In His Image Family Medicine Residency teams were also in Cebu! I knew all the team members from Oklahoma, many of whom I had been involved with their training.
They set up a clinic on the island of Leyte that was terribly devastated by the typhoon. I was able to supplement and greatly augment their medical supplies enabling them to be more effective in their disaster relief response. The IHI teams worked for two weeks and treated over 2,000 patients!