Typhoon Haiyan: Thousands feared dead in Philippines

[busybeeburns]

The storm was so powerful that it washed large ships ashore in the city of Tacloban

 

Typhoon Haiyan: Thousands feared dead in Philippines

 

Around 10,000 people may have died in just one area of the Philippines hit by Typhoon Haiyan, according to officials.

 

One of the worst storms on record, it destroyed homes, schools and an airport in the eastern city of Tacloban. Neighbouring Samar island was also badly affected, with reports of 300 people dead and 2,000 missing. The Philippine government has so far only confirmed the deaths of 151 people throughout the country, but hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

 

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports that the scene in Tacloban, the capital of Leyte province, is one of utter devastation. Houses in Tacloban have been flattened by the massive storm surge that accompanied Typhoon Haiyan.

 

There's no clean water, no electricity and very little food. City officials said they were struggling to distribute aid and that looting was widespread.

 

Our correspondent says hundreds of people are at the airport, itself badly damaged, trying to get on a flight out of Tacloban. The typhoon is now bearing down on Vietnam. More than 600,000 people have been evacuated in northern provinces. At least four people were reported killed there, apparently while trying to escape the storm.

 

The BBC Weather Centre says the typhoon is expected to make landfall south of Hanoi on Monday afternoon local time (between 03:00 and 09:00 GMT), although it will have decreased markedly in strength. Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas says the scale of the relief operation that is now required is overwhelming, with some places described as a wasteland of mud and debris.

 

"From a helicopter, you can see the extent of devastation. From the shore and moving a kilometre inland, there are no structures standing. It was like a tsunami," he told Reuters news agency. "I don't know how to describe what I saw. It's horrific."

 

Tecson Lim, city administrator of Tacloban, told the Associated Press that the death toll in the city alone "could go up to 10,000". Police chief Elmer Soria said about 70% to 80% of the area in the path of the storm in Leyte province was destroyed. He said most of the deaths were from drowning or collapsed buildings.

 

"Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families," high school teacher Andrew Pomeda told AFP news agency. "People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food, rice and milk... I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger."

 

Meanwhile Leo Dacaynos, an official in Eastern Samar province, told local radio 300 people had been found dead in a single town, Basey, with another 2,000 missing and many injured.

 

Communication is still limited in many areas. The latest report from the Philippines' Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed 151 deaths as of 22:00 GMT on Saturday. It said almost 480,000 people had been reported displaced.

 

Thousands of troops have been deployed to the disaster zones. However, rescuers are struggling to get to remote areas, hampered by debris and damaged roads.

 

Typhoon Haiyan - one of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall - swept through six central Philippine islands on Friday. It brought sustained winds of 235km/h (147mph), with gusts of 275 km/h (170 mph), with waves as high as 15m (45ft), bringing up to 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain in places.

 

The Pentagon has announced it is providing the Philippines with naval and aviation resources to help with humanitarian relief efforts. In a statement, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US was delivering helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and search and rescue equipment after a request from the Philippines government.

 

Capt John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority in the Philippines, told the BBC he had flown over the worst affected areas in Leyte and seen "utter destruction".

 

"I have never seen such damage in my life," he said. "It would probably be similar to having a tornado run over a big open space. At the airport, there's actually no structure left standing except the walls."

 

[Tash]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>How Super Typhoon <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Haiyan&src=hash">#Haiyan</a> would stretch if placed over Northern Europe

 

BBC | <a href="http://t.co/yemgDB4QV4">http://t.co/yemgDB4QV4</a>

<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23climate&src=hash">#climate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cop19&src=hash">#cop19</a> <a href="http://t.co/W1Wd9ehYg9">pic.twitter.com/W1Wd9ehYg9</a></p>— Mark Johnston (@mark_johnston) <a href="https://twitter.com/mark_johnston/statuses/399260607410491392">November 9, 2013</a></blockquote>

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[busybeeburns]

:o

[nancyk58]

US AIRCRAFTS BRINGING AID TO THE PHILIPPINES

 

US C-130 aircrafts loaded with emergency goods were Monday underway to Tacloban - the capital on the island of LEYTE - where 10,000 people are believed to have been killed in a city with normally 220,000 inhabitants and now totally destroyed. Dead bodies are lying in the streets.

 

Local security forces are deployed to fight lootings and desperate actions in the area.

 

The authorities fear that the death toll will increase when the worst affected communities along the coast are reached. One of them is Guiuan with 40,000 inhabitants. So far the official death toll is 942. Many died in places that should have been safe such as churches, schoools and public buildings that were destroyed.

 

9.5 million people have been affected and ten thousands of homes (up to 23,000) have been destroyed.

 

660,000 were forced to leave their homes due to the tropical storm / hurricane and are now homeless.

 

Many foreign countries have pledged help to the Philippines, and the UN has assured of emergency assistance to the many affected by the hurricane.

 

Emergency aid is beginning to reach the capital MANILA. It is difficult for the rescue teams and aid agencies to reach the worst hit areas because many areas / villages are cut off from the outside world with impassable roads filled with trash and debris.

 

Hundred thousands of people are in despair waiting for food, water and medicine.

 

Many countries - among them Norway, EU countries and the USA - are sending emergency goods to the Philippines. Many countries would like to send more but emergency funds are rather scarce due to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

 

The biggest aid agencies such as i.a. Red Cross are supporting the Philippines. Populations in many countries (i.a. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany) have responded to appeals from the aid agencies to donate.

 

Germany has pledges 500,000 Euro emergency aid. The EU has made 3 million Euro available.

 

The USA sent food and equipment for purification of water and in addition also soldiers.

 

Source: Danish dr.dk/news earlier today (11.11.13) + Swedish SVT Text + TV4 text + Norwegian NRK News International

 

 

MORE BAD WEATHER HEADING FOR THE PHILIPPINES

 

Meteorologists warn that more bad weather is underway with rain and strong winds.

 

Right now the Philippines experience strong winds and rain over the southern parts of the Philippines. This is very bad for the people who have lost their homes.

 

 

PRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO CONSIDERS DECLARATION OF STATE OF EMERGENCY IN TYPHOON-AFFECTED AREAS TO PUT AN END TO WIDESPREAD LOOTING

 

In worst-hit Tacloban there are many reports of people looting shops for food and other goods.

 

A truck loaded with food, tents and water was attacked (and looted) by a crowd of people.

 

The same thing happened on a bridge in Leute - according to the local Red Cross. According to local media, minibanks have been robbed.

 

Source: Norwegian NRK News International + German ZDFtext

[nancyk58]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24978926

 

17 November 2013 Last updated at 23:03 GMT

 

Philippine typhoon: Aquino criticises local officials

 

Philippine President Benigno Aquino has criticised authorities in some areas for not being fully prepared for the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

 

During a visit to the coastal town of Guiuan, he praised local officials for carrying out a proper evacuation, but said it was in contrast to other towns.

 

Mr Aquino has been criticised for his own government's response.

 

Meanwhile survivors have attended church services for victims of Hayan, which killed at least 3,974 people. (CONFIRMED DEATHS).

 

A further 1,186 are missing, according to the latest official count.

 

In many places, including the mostly flattened city of Tacloban in Leyte province, Masses were held in half-destroyed and flooded churches.

 

The international aid effort is starting to have a major impact, with Britain's HMS Daring warship joining the huge relief operation.

 

The typhoon - which had some of the strongest winds ever recorded on land - also left about 500,000 people homeless.

 

Guiuan, in Samar province, was the first town hit by the typhoon as it came ashore on 8 November. Mr Aquino said the evacuation ordered by the mayor had limited deaths there to fewer than 100.

 

But he suggested officials in other places had not been so well prepared.

 

"As your president, I am not allowed to get angry even if I am already upset," he told reporters. He said that he would have to "stomach" his anger.

 

He also urged people to show patience. "Our main problem now is feeding 1.4 million people every day. But the government has the resources and we're moving faster."

 

Mr Aquino also visited Tacloban, and said the government would provide everything people needed.

 

Earlier Philippine Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman acknowledged that the national relief response had been slow.

 

"We will double our efforts to distribute relief goods because we've been hearing complaints," she said.

 

'Faith strengthened'

 

On Sunday, thousands attended church services across the mainly Roman Catholic country.

 

Many came to give thanks for surviving the storm, while others prayed for their loved ones that died.

 

"I wish to thank the Lord. We asked for his help for all the people who survived this typhoon to be able to eat and continue a life that is hopefully more blissful," Belen Curila told AFP news agency at a service in Guiuan.

 

In Tacloban, Father Amadero Alvero led a service for some 500 people in the half-destroyed and flooded Santo Nino church.

 

"Despite what happened, we still believe in God," he said.

 

As the morning Masses were held, the international relief effort continued to build.

 

US helicopters have been dropping food, water and other supplies from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

 

The navy helicopters have been mobbed by hungry villagers, as they deliver desperately needed aid to remote areas.

 

However the United Nations said people were still going hungry in mountainous regions.

 

"I remain concerned about the health and well-being of the millions of men, women and children who are still in desperate need," UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said in a statement.

 

UK effort

 

Britain's HMS Daring - which is now is off the coast of Cebu City - is the latest vessel to join the relief effort.

 

Its crew is now preparing to despatch aid to the Panay Island, in the far west of Cebu.

 

Another British ship - the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious - is on its way to the Philippines.

 

On Saturday Britain has announced it will give an extra £30m ($50m) in emergency aid, bringing UK assistance to £50m. The DEC said donations it had collected from the public had reached £33m.

 

About 11 million people have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan, according to UN estimates.

 

It was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land, with winds exceeding 320km/h (200 mph) unleashing massive waves.

 

Health experts have warned that the worst-affected areas are entering a peak danger period for the spread of infectious diseases.

 

 

Other stories related to this typhoon on BBC News:

 

UK planes take aid

 

Hunger in Tacloban

 

China rebuked for 'stingy' aid

 

Pictures: Aid stepped up

 

Before and after

 

Q&A: Aid delays

 

Health challenge

 

Struggle to survive

 

Co-ordination vital

 

UK sends ship

 

Survivors' stories

 

Missionary's role

 

Satellite images

 

Maps and graphics

 

Aid in numbers

 

Mapping Typhoon Haiyan

 

Tacloban: Devastated city

 

 

At the scene

 

Jeremy Cooke Tacloban

 

At Sunday Mass the driving rain is pouring through the shattered roof of Santo Nino church in the centre of Tacloban.

 

Many of the congregation sit on pews, huddled under umbrellas as Father Isagni Petilios tells them they have been strong and brave in the face of tragedy.

 

But outside it remains an apocalyptic scene. Most of the homes here have been destroyed. But for the first time, it seems, there are signs that people are beginning to take on the enormous task of rebuilding.

 

For most it starts with pulling lengths of timber and twisted roofing sheets from the piles of wreckage - to recycle into rough shelters.

 

But even as they do so, there is still other grim work to be completed. We watched as truck after truck of corpses were delivered to a cemetery on the outskirts of town.

 

More than 1,000 bodies are carefully laid out in two parallel trenches. Most of the victims go to this mass grave unidentified.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24931543

Typhoon Haiyan: Filipino Americans on devastated home town

 

19 November 2013 Last updated at 01:26 GMT

 

More than 3.4 million Americans trace their ancestry to the Philippines, according to the 2010 US Census, making Filipinos the second-largest Asian-American group in the US.

 

And the biggest group of Filipinos outside of the Philippines can be found in California. The community there is behind a massive fundraising effort to get relief to family and friends back home devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.

 

The BBC met a group from the Tacloban Association of Southern California who are raising money to help rebuild their hometown.

 

Produced by Regan Morris and Travis Peterson

[nancyk58]

MORE THAN 5,200 DIED IN CONNECTION WITH THE TYPHOON

 

The death toll after typhoon "Haiyan" locally called YOLANDA has passed 5,200 according to the Filipino authorities.

 

2 weeks have passed since the typhoon - the strongest ever recorded - swept over part of the Philippines on 8. November 2013.

 

During the ongoing clean-up operation the rescue teams find dead bodies in the rubble and debris of destroyed houses.

 

Friday, 5,209 were confirmed dead. 1,611 remain missing, but many will never be identified before being buried.

 

The Filipino minister for Internal Affairs, Mar Roxas said that in the region Eastern Visayas 4,919 people were killed.

 

The man in charge of the disaster management Eduardo del Rosario said that additional 290 victims were found in other areas in the central and southern parts of the Philippines.

 

According to the United Nations about 13 million people have been affected. 3 million people were forced to leave their homes due to the typhoon.

 

Sources: Norwegian NRK News International, German ARDtext / ZDFtext + Swedish SVT Text + Danish dr.dk/nyheder

 

 

World Bank doubles disaster aid for the Philippines

 

The world Bank has increased its aid by additional 480 million dollars (354 million Euro). Last Monday World Bank President Jim Yong Kim had promised the Filipino President Benigno Aquino aid in the form of 500 million dollar.

 

Source: German ZDFtext

[nancyk58]

5,719 DEAD AFTER TYPHOON YOLANDA IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

The death toll following typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines has risen to 5,719.

 

Almost 1 month after the disaster, 1,779 people remain missing.

 

Almost 4,900 of the victims were found dead in the province of LEYTE which was worst hit by the strongest / most powerful typhoon in the Philippines ever.

 

More than 25,000 people were injured, and more than 4 million people were forced to leave their homes due to the bad weather sweeping the east coast on 8 November 2013.

 

Source: Norwegian NRK News, international

[nancyk58]

1,400 TYPHOON VICTIMS NOT BURIED YET

 

Hundreds of dead bodies - Victims of the super typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda) have not yet been buried - 7 weeks after the typhoon hit.

 

Yolanda / Haiyan claimed 6,111 human lives, and additional 1,779 remain missing. The super typhoon destroyed entire villages and towns.

 

Inhabitants in the area are suffering due to the smell of the around 1,400 dead bodies in closed black plastic bags (specially designed for dead bodies). These bags are lying in a muddy open field in San Isidro - a village in the outskirts of the central town Tacloban.

 

"The smell has destroyed our appetite. Even in our sleep we have to wear face masks", says one of the local residents, Maritess Pedrosa to the news agency AFP.

 

Source: Danish TV2 News + Norwegian NRK News International on 28.12.13

[nancyk58]

1,400 TYPHOON VICTIMS OUTSIDE TACLOBAN NOT BURIED YET

 

Around 1,400 black plastic bags with the dead bodies of the victims of super

typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda) are still lying in a muddy open field in San Isidro - a village in the outskirts of the central town Tacloban.

 

Victims of the super typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda) - have not yet been buried - 7 weeks after the typhoon hit.

 

The dead bodies in the bags have not been buried, as the dead bodies in the bags are to be identified - a work often carried out by foreign specialists.

 

1,785 remain missing after the typhoon, and so far more than 6,150 have been confirmed dead.

 

The super typhoon destroyed entire villages and towns.

 

Sources: Swedish SVT Text + TV4 Text