On 8th November 2013, portions of South East Asia and the Philippines were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. The typhoon was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever reported, and the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing over 6,300 people in the Philippines alone.
Typhoon Haiyan caused catastrophic damage throughout much of the islands of Leyte, where cities and towns were largely destroyed. Thousands of people who once lived in the area left and made their way into less affected areas such as Cebu and Manila. Catbalogan reported that their population more than doubled after the typhoon with the influx of refugees into the city. Around 20,000 people have fled to Manila because of the storm.
The UK Club donated $30,000 to fund the construction of six housing units at the SM Cares Housing Village. The village consists of 400 new homes built to house families who were hardest hit when the typhoon struck. It is now complete and a street has been named after the Club in recognition of the donation made.
The Club emerges from the renewal to start the new policy year with total mutual owned tonnage of 139 million gt, slightly higher than at the start of the previous policy year. Combined mutual-owned and chartered tonnage now stands at around 239 million gross tonnes.
