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Aid operation hampered by scale of destruction
Poor communications and access difficulties are still hampering relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which made a devastating landfall in the Philippines last week killing some 10,000 people.
“Communication is still a problem,” Soaade Messoudi, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told IRIN. “We only manage to contact our staff [in the worst-hit regions] through satellite phones. It’s difficult to get information to give us an idea as to what is needed.”
The typhoon has affected close to 10 million and left more than 500,000 displaced, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The government has already called for international aid and now Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II has appealed to the private sector for help.
“Please send technical experts and volunteers; particularly those capable of extending assistance in restoration of communication lines and power and water supply, clearing of debris, and medical assistance,” Roxas said.
According to NDRRMC, over two million families (nearly 10 million individuals) in 41 of the country’s 82 provinces were affected by Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, and the most powerful storm to make landfall since records began.
Over 28,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.
As of early this week, of 584,642 are displaced, with 319,868 in evacuation centres and 264,774 staying with family and friends, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Prior to the disaster 748,572 people in 31 provinces were evacuated, but some in less affected areas have been able to return home.
Flights from Tacloban City, Roxas City, Busuanga and Kalibo are suspended, with commercial flights not expected to resume for at least two weeks.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says a round trip on the 11km road that connects the airport to Tacloban city currently takes six hours.
The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported it had yet to assess the full extent of the needs as the airport in Tacloban City had been destroyed, many of the roads were blocked and it was almost impossible to make telephone calls from either landlines or mobile phones.
“These conditions will inevitably hamper the needs assessment and delivery of humanitarian aid,” the group said.
ICRC supplies pre-positioned on the southern island of Mindanao two days before the typhoon have yet to reach Tacloban, believed to be the worst-hit city after it was lashed by seven-metre waves.
ICRC had 11 trucks stranded in Surigao City in nearby Mindanao island, loaded with food and other essential relief supplies such as hygiene kits, kitchen utensils, jerry cans, tarpaulins, water bladders and water-treatment units, emergency latrines and medical supplies.
“We don’t know when our trucks would make it to Tacloban… We are looking at our options,” said Messoudi.
The military’s three C-130 cargo planes (each doing two runs a day from Manila to Tacloban) are providing the fastest way to bring in necessary personnel and equipment.
The government has prioritized sending in personnel to fix communication lines, security forces to restore order in communities affected by looting, and military engineers to repair bridges and roads and engage in search and rescue.
“Right now what is important is really to clear the [affected] areas from debris so that the main supply route is to be passable. Today, two battalions will be flown [in] to do just that,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Lt-Col Ramon Zagala. “These are the essential responders or personnel that we need to bring down to the area. Once the area will be cleared, we can smoothly transport the necessary relief goods and assistance in the affected areas.”
Col Medardo Clarito of the 525th engineering combat battalion said they were ordered to prioritize Tacloban City. “Our priority is search and rescue and clearing operations,” he told IRIN.
“People are walking like zombies looking for food,” said Jenny Chu, a medical student in Leyte. “It’s like a movie.”
Most of the deaths appear to have been caused by surging sea water strewn with debris that many said resembled a tsunami, levelling houses and drowning hundreds of people in one of the worst natural disasters to hit the typhoon-prone Southeast Asian nation...
Canadian officials say aid is slowing making its way into the Philippines slowly this week.
after one of the worst storms ever recorded battered the Pacific island country.
The Philippine military said Monday it has confirmed 942 people have died in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.
As many as 10,000 are feared dead in one Philippine city alone, but the full extent of damage wrought by Typhoon Haiyan is not known as emergency officials have yet to reach some of the hardest-hit areas.
“This is unimaginable, this is unthinkable. This is basically one of the worst natural disasters we have seen in decades,’” Hossam Elsharkawi, director of emergencies and recovery at the Canadian Red Cross said in a media interview..
Elsharkawi said members of the Canadian Red Cross are in the Philippines, ahead of the organization’s field hospital which is expected to arrive this week.
He said currently, the most urgent needs are for emergency medical assistance, clean drinking water and food.
“Aid is beginning to trickle into the country. But the logistics are a nightmare and will continue to be so for a number of weeks,” he said.
How you can help
Canadians wishing to help individuals affected by this storm are encouraged to make a financial donation online, at their local Red Cross office or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Please earmark donations “Typhoon Haiyan”. Funds will be used to support Red Cross efforts in all countries affected by the storm.
The Canadian government has also set up the Philippines crisis fund and will match individual donations to charities. Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development, announced Sunday that for every dollar donated by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities responding to the crisis in the country, the government will set aside an additional dollar for the Philippines crisis matching fund. Go to http://humanitariancoalition.ca for details.
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