Singapore Red Cross launches typhoon relief donation appeal

The Singapore Red Cross on Monday launched a dedicated fund raising appeal to receive donations for Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts. The Singapore government is also contributing an additional 150, 000 Singapore dollars (120,000 U.S. dollars) through the Singapore Red Cross to kick-start the public appeal. This is on top of the 50,000 Singapore dollars (40,000 U.S. dollars) the Singapore government has committed on Sunday. The organization also said that it has activated hotlines to assist Singaporeans and Filipinos in locating their family members who may have been affected. The Singapore Red Cross has already committed its first tranche of humanitarian aid, emergency relief supplies worth 100,000 Singapore dollars (80,000 U.S. dollars) for the survivors' immediate needs. A team of volunteers and staff of the Singapore Red Cross will leave for the affected areas at Visayas on Thursday to help with the distribution of relief items.