OTTAWA—Dr. Danielle Perreault is under no illusion about the hard work and heartache that awaits her in the typhoon-ravaged ruins of the Philippines.

Just hours before she boarded a plane Wednesday as part of a Canadian Red Cross medical team headed to the disaster zone, the Quebec doctor reflected on the human suffering she expects to see.

“It’s going to be very intense in terms of shocking situations,” Perreault said.

Indeed, her big worry is how the Red Cross field hospital — able to treat 300 people a day and has space for 70 in-patients — will cope with demand for both treatment and medications.

“There will be situations that we will have to take a decision to save one or to save 10,” she said. “I will go step-by-step, one patient at a time.”

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How to donate to Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts

Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines last Friday, displacing more than 600,000 people from their homes, according to the Red Cross. At least 2,000 have been killed though the death toll is expected to rise. Now, in the aftermath of the storm, there are concerns about providing survivors with sanitation, clean water and food and shelter.

Asked why she would step forward to help in such conditions, Perreault was taken aback by the question.

“Mon Dieu. It’s in my genetic code,” she said. “For me, it’s no effort. I feel really, really privileged to go in those places.”

Fellow volunteer Patrick Raymond, an emergency room nurse, said the scenes of devastation will be difficult to witness.

“But we have to focus on what we’re doing, not the stuff we cannot accomplish,” said Patrick, who has deployed twice with the Red Cross to Chad and Mozambique.

As the Red Cross team prepared to leave, Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed that the military’s disaster assistance response team (DART) will be based in the Philippine city of Iloilo on the island of Panay.

“The DART team is now on the way to Iloilo, which is one of the affected areas that has so far been less served by some of the humanitarian efforts,” said Harper, who made a visit to the Philippine embassy in Ottawa to sign a book of condolences.

The first elements of the team were already en route to the Philippines and were due to arrive shortly in Iloilo.

Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said that a second military transport C-17 aircraft was due to depart CFB Trenton Wednesday ferrying more equipment and personnel.

“A lot of engineering equipment that will be able to assist governmental and non-governmental agencies with restoring essential services in the area,” Nicholson said during a visit to the Ottawa offices of the Red Cross to meet with the volunteers before they left.

Asked how long the Canadian military could be in the region, Nicholson replied that they will “do whatever it takes.”

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He was joined by Laureen Harper, the prime minister’s wife and a Red Cross supporter, who praised the dedication of the volunteers.

“Thousands have lost their lives. Hundreds of thousands have lost their homes,” Harper said. “Your sacrifice is meaningful and you are going to make a difference.”

Ottawa also announced Wednesday that immigration officials would give priority to applications from Filipinos who are “significantly and personally affected” by the typhoon.

Files from The Canadian Press

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