A group of local doctors, nurses and other medical volunteers will be traveling to the Philippines to help typhoon victims.

The Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii says they are preparing for the humanitarian mission to the typhoon-devastated Visayas region of the Philippines. The mission is scheduled for Dec. 13 to 23.

All 40 volunteers are paying for their own travel, lodging and other expenses.

The team expects to serve up to 25,000 typhoon survivors over five days.

Parts of central and southern Philippines were battered earlier this month by fierce winds and tsunami-like storm surges from Typhoon Haiyan, locally called Yolanda.

Volunteers say they’re bracing for a challenging mission under difficult conditions.