11.3 million afflicted by super typhoon Haiyan

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11.3 million afflicted by super typhoon Haiyan

Food and water has become scarce since Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the country

by

Kelly Clarke

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Published: Wed 13 Nov 2013, 8:46 AM

Last updated: Fri 3 Apr 2015, 7:56 AM

A woman stares at her bleak future while standing in line among hundreds of others, waiting to leave on a military air transport after super typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban City. — Reuters

Dangerous debris and ongoing turbulent weather conditions continue to mar relief operations in the Philippines, with the number of people affected by the super typhoon jumping to 11.3 million — including four million children.

Meanwhile, some UAE residents are beginning to breathe a sigh of relief as news from loved ones trickles through, while others based here gear up to fly to the country to help with relief operations.

In the wake of the country’s worst natural disaster, Unicef surveyors said initial estimates of the number of children affected were far too low, with figures now being pitted at about four million — or more than one-third of those affected in total. Unicef Philippines Representative Tomoo Hozumi said supplies were being “rushed to children who are bearing the brunt of this crisis”.

Reaching the worst affected areas was proving very difficult he said, but teams were working round-the-clock to find ways to get supplies in quickly, when conditions allowed.

Speaking toKhaleej Timesfrom Manila on Tuesday, UN spokesperson Orla Fagan said estimates of people impacted by the November 8 typhoon continued to rise, with several million more people included in the latest estimate — up from 9.8 million on Monday.

Logistics and communication remained key priorities, with relief operations being stepped up — but problematic access was delaying the distribution of crucial food supplies, she said.

While a reorganisation plan was being implemented at Manila Airport on Tuesday to facilitate ongoing transportation and access issues, more than 40 metric tonnes of high-energy biscuits had been held up there, waiting to be delivered to the affected areas.

“Nothing came into the airport today. The biscuits should be released tomorrow, but we are trying to implement a more effective strategy to deal with access problems,” she said.

With a constant influx of rescue teams and aid coming into the country, Fagan referred to the earthquake which struck Haiti back in 2010 — killing more than 150,000 people.

“It took us days to get into the affected areas in Haiti, for the same reasons. I’m hoping we can get in (on Wednesday), but (Zoraida) is now expected to hit in the morning,” — bound to hamper aid efforts, she said.

Food and water has become scarce since Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the country killing more than 10,000 people and displacing more than 600,000, with many survivors now begging for help. “Supplies are limited in most places, but food and water are lifesaving. This is the priority,” Fagan said.

And in a bid to clear debris from the roads and facilitate better access for vehicles into the worst-hit areas, Fagan said rescue teams were paying a basic wage to locals to help with the clean-up.

Countries and non-governmental organisations around the world are clubbing together to support the Philippines, after the government declared a state of emergency, with field hospitals, medical personnel, and medical supplies arriving in the Philippines, coordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Priority has been given to the worst-hit areas where health facilities and supplies have sustained the most damage, including Tacloban, Cebu and Leyte.

Lightning struck twice in the Bohol province which suffered a 7.2 magnitude earthquake last month, when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the typhoon-affected area on Tuesday, with Unicef’s warehouse in Copenhagen airlifting $1.3 million worth of additional supplies for another 10,000 families near the area.

Fagan said the UN was in continual contact with its partner humanitarian organisations there and was receiving constant updates on the situation in towns that aid workers had been able to reach.

As at Tuesday, nine people from the town of Hernani were confirmed dead. With a population of 15,000, the number of people missing was still unknown, she said, but the typhoon “created a surge up to 10 metres” there.

The International Organisation of Migration had also reported the current death toll in Guiuan — which had a population of 46,000 — at 65, with 20 people still missing.

More updates would come in as the situation allowed, she said. - kelly@khaleejtimes.com


Immediate visa for foreign volunteers facilitated

Lily B. Libo-on

The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai has facilitated the immediate issuance of visa for foreign volunteers to assist the victims of super typhoon Haiyan in Central Philippines.

Vice Consul General Geronimo Suliguin said the Philippine government was grateful to the UAE government for the $10 million cash donations for the typhoon victims. “We are encouraging kind-hearted donors to give cash instead of in-kind donations at this time because it can be easily transferred to the typhoon-ravaged areas.”

He has advised Filipino groups, which have collected cash donations and sent them to government or non-government organisations, to submit copies of the official remittance receipts to the Philippine Consulate for proper acknowledgement, follow up and ensure the cash donations have been received on time.

Vice-Consul Suliguin also thanked many companies and hotels in Dubai, which have donated cash, in-kind goods and pharmaceutical products for the more than 10,000 victims in Tacloban City and Eastern Samar. He asked organisers of fund-raising activities to contact the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

In Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, Filipino organisations have turned to social media and text messaging to reach out to as many as Filipino communities and friends in the UAE to stock up resources in an all-out fund-raising and in-kind donation campaigns since Monday.

Mel Castillo, vice-president of the Filipino Club in Ras Al Khaimah told Khaleej Times hundreds have so far responded to the club’s posting on Facebook. “Currently, we are only collecting cash because of the immediate needs of super typhoon victims. We will collect in-kind donations later for sea freight.”

He said that big piggy banks have been put up in all companies in RAK, especially those with Filipino expatriate staff. RAK has more than 10,000 Filipino expatriates and their families living in the emirate. “We will continue to collect cash so assistance can be easily sent to the hardest-hit areas. We have 20 boxes for in-kind goods, but we concentrate on collecting cash donations at this time.”

Rina Gauer, a Filipino expatriate in RAK, is using text messages, emails and phone calls to reach out to more than a thousand friends and relatives who want to make cash and in-kind donations. “We are very happy to get any single dirham that will let the typhoon survivors live.” - lily@khaleejtimes.com


Social media sites keep expats posted

Olivia Olarte-Ulherr

The power of social networking sites have proven to be a mighty ally for Filipinos here who kept a virtual vigil right from the beginning of super typhoon Haiyan, hoping to hear word from their loved ones in the ravaged provinces of the central Philippines.

After two days of a complete communication blackout, news started trickling in on Sunday with videos and bulletins of the extent of the destruction getting posted online, causing further strain on already stretched nerves. Despite the gruesome pictures, they provided the much-needed information, which immediately got passed on and shared.

On Facebook, pleas such as “please let us hear from you”, “please update about the situation in Sabang”, “thank you for those who posted the pics. Seeing that damage is minimal in our area is already a big relief for us”, and calls for information on missing family members spread, as well as words of encouragement and condolences.

Knowing the importance to communicate with loved ones, free Internet access for three minutes was set up in Tacloban City and many survivors queued to send a quick message of assurance — or to share the dreaded news to family outside the region. From Monday, many Filipinos here started receiving more concrete news as communication lines got restored in some parts.

Quince Banez said his cousin posted on Facebook that all his family members in Tacloban had survived, much to his relief. “He said he saw them physically so at least that is reassuring. Our house was also not totally wrecked so they have a dry place to stay, and they also have food supply for one week.”

Laila Arenas learned from Facebook that a neighbour in Eastern Samar could be contacted through a satellite phone and she immediately called her on Monday night. She confirmed that her mother, sister and relatives are safe. And despite not speaking to them directly, the news was enough to lift her spirit. “Good news for us! My family are all ok in Hernani — thank you Lord! You are one mighty Saviour!!” she posted on her timeline.

On Twitter, words of encouragement, such as that of Pope Francis were being retweeted. “I ask all of you to join me in prayer for all the victims of typoon Haiyan/Yolanda especially those in the beloved islands of the Philippines.”

“My heart is seriously crying out for those people who have been affected by the super typhoon Yolanda. God bless Philippines,” was a tweet from Elbert Vierneza.

Others also call for donations while companies tweet their intention to donate part of their profits to typhoon victims.

“Social media is a very powerful tool with 30 per cent of people around the world getting connected. This brings about a change as people are able to connect to the world,” said Shabbir Adamji, founder and CEO of social/professional networking web portal GoMadinc.com. He noted the importance of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which are the mostly used in passing on information, such as the typhoon Haiyan updates.

“They are beneficial for people who are able to post messages and photographs,” he said. He added that global organisations also made use of these postings to track down affected sectors, build a map and identify focus areas for relief purposes. Since most communication lines are still down in hard-to-reach areas, these photos and messages also help assist in aid plans.

“There’ll be many people inspired to help and funds being raised because of postings. Without this, perhaps, we won’t achieved what we achieved now,” he said. olivia@khaleejtimes.com


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