Nokia responds to Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines

Typhoon Haiyan – known locally as Typhoon Yolanda – struck the south-easterly islands of the Philippines earlier this month killing thousands, leaving millions homeless and destroying vast swathes of critical infrastructure. A few readers have asked about Nokia’s operations in the Philippines and our response to the relief effort underway.

Between NSN, HERE and Nokia, we currently have an extended team of more than 870 people in the Philippines. We are relieved to report that all emerged safely from this tragedy.

In response to the relief efforts in the Philippines, Nokia has made donations in excess of €250,000:

• to the local Red Cross and Red Crescent organization in support of immediate relief and rescue operations on the ground, providing people with clean water, food, shelter and warmth, and protecting lives that are still at risk.
• to Oxfam for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts: helping people whose livelihoods are destroyed or in peril, striving to get children back to school as soon as possible so as to normalize daily life, and rebuilding housing and infrastructure.

We have also donated more than 1,000 Nokia mobile phones to support local communication and recovery efforts. Some of these mobile devices will be used at a makeshift radio station in Tacloban to assist in connecting people with their loved ones and to facilitate various rescue/relief operation teams.

Employees in Finland and other sites around the world have also taken action. In Finland, our Nokia Helping Hands program is helping to raise funds through the Finnish Red Cross.

Relief organizations around the world are responding to the situation in the Philippines. Conversations readers who want to donate can make a contribution via various relief efforts, including the Red Cross.