The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing an initial $100,000 to support the humanitarian response of the Government of the Philippines to the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas Province, which has displaced nearly 112,800 people to nearly 420 evacuation centers since it began on January 12, 2020.

With this aid, USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance is funding World Vision to provide emergency relief supplies - including sleeping mats, blankets, and hygiene supplies such as soap and toothbrushes - to approximately 7,600 people who have evacuated their homes because of the ongoing eruption.

Additional partners with which USAID works year-round in The Philippines to prepare for, and respond to, disasters are also supporting the operations led by the Government of the Philippines. Through ongoing USAID-funded programs to reduce the risk of disasters, the World Food Programme is delivering logistical assistance to help Filipino authorities transport relief supplies to affected families, and the International Organization for Migration is providing technical assistance for the management of emergency shelters. The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, another USAID partner, is also helping to coordinate donations and offers of assistance from the private sector.

The United States is also providing remote technical support and equipment for monitoring the activity of the Taal volcano to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) through the Volcano Disaster-Assistance Program (VDAP), funded by USAID and implemented by the U.S. Geological Survey within the U.S. Department of the Interior.

For the latest updates on USAID's support for the response to the eruption of Taal Volcano, visit: www.usaid.gov/crisis/philippines.