MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- (Marketwire) -- 12/03/12 -- As Filipinos brace for the imminent arrival of Typhoon Bopha, aid workers from Save the Children are on high alert and ready to meet the needs of children affected by the storm, if there is a need for a large-scale humanitarian response.

The typhoon, known locally as Pablo, is expected to pound the country's eastern border on Tuesday, bringing high winds and heavy rains. Already thousands of people in Mindanao have begun to evacuate areas where the typhoon is expected to hit.

Save the Children's Anna Lindenfors in the nation's capital Manila said, "Mindanao has experienced heavy winds and rain over the last 24 hours. Save the Children is monitoring the situation closely. We have staff on the ground and pre-made aid packages to distribute if needed. Children are always the most vulnerable in a disaster and we stand ready to respond to their needs."

Save the Children has been working in the Philippines since 1981 and has decades of experience responding to emergencies in the Philippines. The aid agency mounted large-scale emergency responses to Typhoon Washi in 2011 and Typhoon Ketsana in 2009.