From staff reports:

Typhoon Haiyan, considered one of the strongest tropical storms ever, made landfall in the Philippines early Nov. 8 and caused catastrophic damage. Wind gusts were reported as high as 190 mph. Thousands are feared dead.

Federal Way-based World Vision is mobilizing a response to help nearly 400,000 people.

According to worldvision.org, the first relief flight loaded with critical emergency supplies arrived in Manila on Monday, including 5,000 blankets and 3,000 tarpaulins (plastic sheets) that will be used to help survivors build temporary shelters. The Christian humanitarian organization is raising funds to provide emergency assistance to more than 1 million people.

The typhoon has affected nearly 9.8 million people and displaced an estimated 660,000 people, according to the United Nations. Local officials estimate that some 10,000 people were killed in one city alone, and the overall number is expected to increase as aid workers reach more affected communities, the UN reports.

World Vision reports that communication outages are creating difficulties in assessing the damage.

To learn more about World Vision’s efforts or donate, visit www.worldvision.org.