OREANDA-NEWS.  On Thanksgiving Day, a UPS "Browntail" aircraft will depart Louisville, KY, loaded with approximately 15,000 pounds of donated vital medical relief supplies, valued at USD 1.5 million, headed for Cebu, Philippines, to assist the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. The shipment was made possible by the Catholic Diocese of New York and the Harmony for Peace Foundation in Pennsylvania.

The airlift request came to these two agencies from the Philippine Consulate General's office of New York and Alto Broadcasting System-Chronicle Broadcasting Network (ABS-CBN) Foundation International, both of which are coordinating their relief efforts with the Philippines Department of Health. The 747 "Browntail" will be loaded with medicine as well as medical equipment and depart long before sunrise on Thanksgiving Day for its 8,325 mile journey.

"I would like to thank UPS for agreeing to air ship these medicines and medical supplies that are badly needed right now in the typhoon-devastated areas in the Philippines," said Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr., Philippine Consulate General Office, New York. "These supplies will be used to treat the more than 25,000 people who have been injured by the typhoon, to extend preventive care to the survivors and to help prevent an outbreak of serious diseases. Getting these medicines and medical supplies to the Philippines is very critical."

"Our relief efforts in the Philippines continue and it is a privilege for UPS to utilize its expertise and resources to deliver urgent, life-saving supplies throughout the impacted areas of the country," said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation, and Chair of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Catastrophic Risk. "The people and communities devastated by Typhoon Haiyan are facing many hardships. By moving desperately needed medical items to Cebu, UPS and UPSers on the ground are helping the government and relief organizations ensure that these communities have a reliable, efficient and predictable path back to recovery."

On November 13, UPS announced a USD 1 million pledge in support for recovery efforts in the Philippines. The pledge was a combination of cash grants, in-kind transportation movements and technical expertise to provide urgent relief as well as strategic support for long-term recovery needs.

Leveraging UPS's expertise in logistics during disasters is an area where the company has proven it can make a big impact. Last year, UPS supported more than 200 humanitarian relief programs in 35 countries. This includes programs that prepare communities for a crisis, supplying them with urgent relief when a crisis occurs, and, giving post-crisis recovery phase support. Through a combination of in-kind shipments, technical and expertise sharing and funding of relief organizations, UPS contributed in excess of USD 6.5 million in 2012.