Philippines tourists and volunteer travellers help out after typhoon Haiyan

TRAVELLERS caught up in typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines are banding together to help others caught in the aftermath.

Volunteers helpers at work on All Hands' Project Bohol.

TRAVELLERS caught up in typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines are banding together to help others caught in the aftermath.

On the popular tourist island of Bohol, international volunteers had only just started a project to rebuild homes in the wake of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in mid-October, when the typhoon struck.

The US-based non-profit organisation responsible for the project, All Hands, vowed to continue its work, with its volunteers returning to work today after bunkering down over the weekend.

"We have resumed our earthquake response work on Project Bohol clearing rubble and deconstructing houses," the organisation posted in an update.

Those able to help can volunteer or donate to the project.

"To date we have deconstructed 10 houses and worked on one school," the update said.

"We are still without power and will be for at least a few more days, and possibly weeks.

"We are also quickly mobilizing our Project Bohol resources to send an assessment team to the Tacloban/Ormoc areas to get an on-the-ground account of the destruction Yolanda (Haiyan) wreaked."

Meanwhile, on the tourist resort island of Boracay, travel blogger Norm Schriever has become a point of contact after he posted videos and updates on social media after the typhoon swept through.

He is now helping co-ordinate communication between tourists and their loved ones.

His blog lists the names of people whose family and friends are looking for them.

The latest official Australian Government update on the Smartraveller website advises Australians in the region to follow the instructions of local authorities and assess their need to remain in the region.

Australians in need of consular assistance should call the Australian Embassy in Manila on (63 2) 7578 100 or the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra on [phone].

Australians can help the relief efforts by donating to the Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Appeal.