Relief Effort Begins After Philippine Typhoon Brian Goldbeck, acting ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, issued a disaster declaration to provide an immediate $100,000 for relief efforts. Other governments and charities working to provide relief in the Philippines include: Australia announced assistance of 10 million Australian dollars ($9.4 million). That includes the deployment of an emergency medical team, aid to the U.N. Flash Appeal and aid to Australian non-governmental organizations for immediate life-saving assistance. The United Nations World Food Programme said it has allocated $2 million for the disaster response and officials joined an assessment mission to survey damage in Leyte and Samar provinces. UNICEF said its staff in the Philippines is being repositioned to help in relief efforts and 66 tons of emergency supplies are being sent from Copenhagen. Japan will fly a 25-member relief team of mostly medical staff. Taiwan said it will send $200,000 in aid to help with relief efforts. It asked those who want to support relief efforts to mail a check to their local American Red Cross chapter, with "Philippines Typhoons and Flood" in the memo line. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has begun collecting donations for relief efforts. To contribute, go to www.jdc.org or call 212-687-6200. Mercy Corps said it has launched emergency response efforts to provide food, water, shelter and basic supplies to typhoon survivors. To contribute, go to www.mercycorps.org/typhoon or call (800) 292-3355. AmeriCares is preparing to deploy an emergency response team to the Philippines. To donate go to http://americares.org or call (800) 486-4357. The International Rescue Committee has dispatched an emergency team to Manila and launched a $10 million appeal. The IRC will work to determine which of its areas of expertise - from water and sanitation to education - are most needed.