Philippine super typhoon kills at least 10,000, official says

Reuters ^ | Nov 9, 2013 | Reuters

[Innovative]

One of the most powerful storms ever recorded killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines province of Leyte, a senior police official said on Sunday, with coastal towns and the regional capital devastated by huge waves.

Super typhoon Haiyan destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of the area in its path as it tore through the province on Friday, said chief superintendent Elmer Soria, a regional police director.

Haiyan, a category 5 typhoon that churned through the Philippine archipelago in a straight line from east to west, packing wind gusts of around 275 kph (170 mph), weakened significantly before hitting northern Vietnam on Sunday.

[Paul R.]

Our local Fil-Am community is working on raising $$, but, it's not all that large a group and it's mostly composed of average working folks not exactly floating in money. If we can raise $5k, I'd be surprised and delighted.

Sending in a carrier task force is a pretty major effort, and can help a lot once on location, but it does take time to get there. I saw vid of US cargo planes being loaded up too -- how many have been sent I do not know. Hastily organized volunteer teams from the U.S., not necessarily affiliated with established relief organizations, are on the way too. The response in the next 24 hours could be critical, but complicating the matter is the security situation with looters, robbers, and such. The Philippine govt. needs to get a substantial military presence in there, now. From the Philippine Red Cross website (I'd surely think they won't mind the below being reposted with credit.):

Philippines: Terrible destruction complicating relief efforts after typhoon

Geneva / Manila (ICRC) – In a matter of hours on 8 November, Typhoon Haiyan – one of the strongest storms ever recorded – completely devastated parts of eastern Visayas in the central Philippines. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is closely coordinating its relief efforts with the Philippine Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and a number of National Societies of other countries.

The ICRC has an office and staff on the ground in Tacloban city and will be focusing its emergency response in Samar province, where it has been operational for many years in the context of the armed conflict in the southern Philippines.

"This area has been totally ravaged", said Sebastien Sujobert, head of the ICRC office in Tacloban. "Many lives were lost, a huge number of people are missing, and basic services such as drinking water and electricity have been cut off." There was also, he said, extensive damage to other infrastructure, and communication was difficult for those working to aid the stricken population. Both the Philippine Red Cross and the ICRC offices in Tacloban had been damaged, forcing staff to relocate temporarily. "To make matters worse, the security situation is tense. People here need every type of aid."

On 6 November, with the storm already bearing down on the area, ICRC Manila dispatched 11 trucks to Tacloban loaded with food and other essential relief supplies such as hygiene kits, kitchen utensils, jerrycans, tarpaulins, water bladders and water-treatment units, emergency latrines and medical supplies. However, the trucks were held up for a few days in Surigao city as all sea traffic came to a halt. These supplies have yet to reach Tacloban.

"There's an urgent need to speed up the humanitarian response," said Graziella Leite Piccolo, deputy head of the ICRC delegation in Manila. The organization was therefore sending additional staff by air from Manila and Davao to support personnel already on the scene. The priority, she said, was to survey the needs, and this would be done together with the Philippine Red Cross.

The trucks are expected in Tacloban tomorrow, Monday. That will enable the distribution of emergency relief to start. The ICRC is determined to reach the affected population as soon as possible.

For further information, please contact:

Soaade Messoudi, ICRC Manila, tel: +63 918 907 2125

Anastasia Isyuk, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 30 23 or +41 79 251 93 02

David-Pierre Marquet, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 536 92 48

[Gene Eric]

Thanks!