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The expected death toll from Typhoon Haiyan's rampage through the
Philippines is much lower than the 10,000 previously estimated,
President Benigno Aquino has said, as attention shifts to a quickly
deteriorating security situation.Aquino said an initial UN estimate of 10,000 people killed in in the city of Tacloban was "too much", five days after one of the strongest tropical storms on record destroyed tens of thousands of houses.
"The figure I have right now is 2,000 ... so far about 2,000, 2,500 is the figure we're working on," he said, adding that the death toll still could rise.
The latest official government death toll stands at 2,275, although authorities say they have not come close to accurately assessing the number of bodies lying amid the rubble or swept out to sea.
International aid groups say they fear what is known now is just the tip of the iceberg.
"Obviously the situation in Tacloban is appalling but we are also very concerned about outlying islands," Patrick Fuller, Red Cross spokesman in the Asia-Pacific, told the AFP news agency.
Security concerns
Authorities struggled to keep a grip on security as relief operations were only starting to pick up pace, with two more airports in the region reopening, allowing for more aid flights.
But minimal food and water was reaching people in Tacloban and outlying regions due to a lack of lorries and blocked roads.
Desperation has begun to grip the country as looting turned deadly on Wednesday and survivors panicked over delays in supplies of food, water and medicine, some digging up underground water pipes and smashing them open.
In one incident, eight people were crushed to death as thousands of typhoon survivors stormed a rice warehouse to gain access to the rice bags, near Tacloban, Rex Estoperez, spokesman for the National Food Authority, the government's rice trading agency, said on Wednesday.
"The looting is not criminality. It is self-preservation," Tecson John Lim, Tacloban city administrator, said.
Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas, reporting from Cebu, an island also hit hard by Haiyan, said the government was worried now about looting of homes and malls by people so desperate to find something to eat of some shelter.
Since the storm, people have broken into homes, malls and garages, where they have stripped the shelves of food, water and other goods.
Authorities have struggled to stop the looting. There have been unconfirmed reports of armed gangs involved in some instances.
Our correspondent said the government was concerned about communist rebels who have been operating in and around the disaster-hit areas staging attacks in relief workers and relief envoys.
"The government said that they are trying to deploy military aid as fast as the can to gain control of the situation," she said.
aljazeera.com
13/11/13
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Related:
US sends more troops to storm-ravaged Philippines.
Thousands feared killed in Philippine typhoon. Officials say death toll in Leyte province expected to be as high as 10,000, as Typhoon Haiyan heads towards Vietnam.
Οι διασώστες του ΟΗΕ συγκλονίστηκαν από τις καταστροφές στις Φιλιππίνες /La Croix-Rouge philippine parle d'au moins 1 200 morts.
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Philippines: aid workers concerned about logistical challenges, ‘incredible despair’ of population...
ReplyDelete13 November 2013 – As the United Nations and other organizations scale up the massive relief operation under way in the typhoon-battered Philippines, the UN humanitarian chief is meeting today with survivors in the hard-hit city of Tacloban, a day after launching a $301 million flash appeal for lifesaving aid.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos has been in the region since category 5 Typhoon Haiyan made landfall over the weekend, surveying the damage and meeting with aid workers battling heavy rains, blocked roads and damaged airstrips and seaports to reach millions across the region desperate for food, water and other basic necessities.
Offering a sobering snapshot of the situation on the ground, Bernard Kerblat, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) representative in the Philippines told UN Radio the because at least eight regions are logistically cut-off, information is trickling in “piecemeal” and hampering aid. “I’m afraid that even if it’s day five of the crisis and even if everyone is working around the clock, we still don’t know the full extent of the picture,” he said.
Noting that Ms. Amos was able to reach Tacloban by military helicopter today, he said the senior UN official was able to “observe first-hand the incredible level of destruction, incredible level of despair among this population.”
“As I speak to you, dead bodies are rotting on the side of the street, and that is Tacloban,” said Mr. Kerblat.
At least 9.4 million people have been affected, according to figures he cited, with more than 600,000 people displaced, the majority of them in evacuation centres......http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46483&Cr=philippines&Cr1=#.UoPUOieIzJc
13/11/13
British citizens donated $21 million towards aid to the Philippines ...
ReplyDeleteLONDON, November 13. (Itar-Tass) In 24 hours, British citizens collected around 13 million pounds, or $21 million, towards aiding the typhoon-struck Philippines. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which organized the collection, has announced this on Wednesday. DEC will now use the funds to provide nourishment, water and shelter to the affected locals.
According to the latest figures, 2344 people perished in the typhoon. Over 3,000 people were injured, around 100 are missing. Over 650,000 locals are left without shelter, the total number of affected people is estimated to be in the range of 9.5 million.
http://www.itar-tass.com/c727/956382.html
13/11/13
Typhoon Haiyan: US carrier to boost relief effort....
ReplyDeleteA US aircraft carrier and its escort of two cruisers are due to arrive off the Philippines to help communities devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.
The USS George Washington will expand search-and-rescue operations and provide a platform for helicopters to move supplies, the White House said.
The top US commander in the Philippines told the BBC that US military support would be on an unprecedented scale.
Some 11 million people have been affected by the typhoon.
Although the official death toll stands at more than 2,300, local officials and aid workers fear it could rise much higher.
With images of the suffering flashed around the world, a huge international aid effort has swung into operation.
The USS George Washington is expected to arrive off the Philippines later on Thursday along with its escort ships, the US Navy said. Two US destroyers have already arrived in the Philippines and other US vessels are expected to arrive in about a week, it added.
On Wednesday the US also ordered the activation of a hospital ship, the USNS Mercy. However, if deployed it would not reach the Philippines until December......http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24936387
14/11/13
Beckham drums up support for UN typhoon-recovery in Philippines...
ReplyDelete14 February 2014 – David Beckham, a United Nations Children’s Fund Goodwill Ambassador, today met with children in the storm-ravaged Philippine city of Tacloban as part of the UN agency’s relief efforts in the country.
The football legend said he was “humbled” to see how people “are still so full of spirit despite the devastation they have suffered.”
A father of four, Mr. Beckham joked around with the children, making Valentine’s Day cards with them inside a makeshift classroom, and playing with animal puppets. He headed and kicked around a ball before posing for pictures.
The two-day visit was meant to show people around the world what impact their donations have had on the children and their families, and “how thankful people here are for their kindness,” Mr. Beckham said.
Typhoon Haiyan swept ashore on 8 November killing nearly 6,000 people, displacing 4.1 million at the height of the emergency, and destroying homes and livelihoods.
The UN launched a one-year Strategic Response Plan for $788 million dollars in mid-December, in support of the Government’s strategic plan, amounting to some $8.17 billion over four years to guide the recovery and reconstruction in the affected areas. The Plan is currently 45 per cent funded, according to figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
This was Mr. Beckham’s second visit to the Philippines with UNICEF, which he has served as a Goodwill Ambassador since 2005. In 2011, he visited a shelter in Manila and played an exhibition game.
One of the most famous footballers of his generation, the former midfielder has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy, among other clubs, and has also played more than 100 times for the English football team.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47149&Cr=philippines&Cr1=#.Uv8A9c6ERqg
15/2/14