December 4, 2012, was a day that changed the lives of more than 250,000 Filipino children living in the worst affected areas of the southern Philippines. Super Typhoon Bhopa made landfall in the early hours of the morning, in a region that is rarely visited by typhoons. Here is the story of one young girl who lived through the storm.

As we’ve been posting on our FieldNotes blog, the typhoon that hit the Philippines on December 4 was truly devastating. We recently received a situation report from the UNICEF office in the Philippines, and wanted to share with you some updates.

On the morning of December 4, Super Typhoon Bopha slammed into the southeastern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. With winds of over 108 mph and heavy, intense rainfall, the storm completely destroyed homes and crops in the hardest-hit areas. So far, there have been 418 confirmed deaths, and 383 persons are still missing. More than 56,000 people were evacuated. UNICEF has been on the ground in the Philippines since 1948 and immediately began assisting families and children in need.

A category 5 typhoon struck the Philippines today, forcing more than 56,000 people to evacuate. More than two dozen people have died, according to media reports.

UNICEF is closely monitoring the situation. With an on-the-ground presence in the Philippines since 1948, UNICEF stands ready to aid children and families affected by the storm.

We will share an update on FieldNotes as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you would like to make a donation to support UNICEF’s relief efforts for children in emergencies, please click here.

Typhoon Megi is gathering strength as it heads towards China, with winds surpassing 115 miles per hour.

Megi left a trail of destruction in the Philippines, where it made landfall on Monday as a Category 5 typhoon. Hundreds of families were evacuated in anticipation of the storm and hundreds of thousands left homeless.

Situation reports have been coming in from UNICEF’s field staff across Asia-Pacific and the numbers are devastating–all told, 7 million children have been affected by last week’s natural disasters.

People across the country have demonstrated incredible generosity (we’re so thankful that the $500,000 challenge issued last week by an anonymous donor for the Philippines has been been met), and continued support will be needed for UNICEF to continue its lifesaving work for children whose lives have been turned upside down.

If you would like to support UNICEF’s relief efforts in the region, you can make a donation here. (Or click here if you’re interested in supporting work in a particular country.)