The Disaster in The Philippines (Super Typhoon Haiyan)

[JRS]

The super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), one of the strongest storms in history, has caused massive devastation in the Philippines. The death toll is estimated between 1000 and 10.000 and up to hundred thousand people may have lost their homes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24887337

The city of Tacloban is one of the worst hit, some parts of the city have been totally destroyed:

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24887718

I have friends and loved one in the Philippines so this tragedy has somehow impacted me strongly. They are fine but they are very shocked of what has happened to their country and it has impacted to their lives in other means also.
Its really sad to see there scenes from there
I know that the people there are certainly strong..but one does not wish something like this to anybody or for any nation.
My best wishes to the Philippines and my deepest condolences to those who have lost a loved one there.

 

[Christopher]

My sympathies. I'm glad your loved ones are all right.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

JRS, I'm glad your family and friends are okay.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I have been following this closely via Shelter Box updates. There was recently a earthquake in the same region and as a result Shelter Box already had one of their response team there. In case people aren't aware of what Shelter Box does here is a video

[yt]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nyM_sk8tjEo[/yt]

 

[Zulu Romeo]

You have my thoughts JRS. It is good to hear that your loved ones have been OK.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

thanks for the information, JRS. My sister in law is Philippine and her family appear to be safe as well (we haven't heard of them yet but they live on Davao which didn't get hit that badly).

News over here said yesterday that a district capital got wiped out completely (I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch the name. It was on one of the southern islands. Possibly it was Tacloban). There are many thieves and looters

What really shocked me was an interview showing people being totally shocked that their houses were destroyed and that they were lucky to have escaped alife. I mean, really - the government warned them several days ahead of the storm and virtually begged everyone to go to the shelters. All radio stations issued warnings literally every 5 minutes on Friday, a full day before the storm came. That anyone can be so foolish as to ignore all of that and stay at home is really unbelievable.

I'm glad your friends and family are ok, JRS. Do you happen to know how long it might take for telephone and internet connections to the Philippines to be restored?

 

[Miss Chicken]

There are nine million people in the area affected, do you really think there would have been enough shelters for them all? As it was more than a million did seek shelter but for some of them even the shelters weren't safe, at least one school that was being used as a shelter collapsed.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

no, I am not that naive, but the people they showed in those interviews all said they stayed at home because they didn't believe it'd get that bad. And that way many of their family members got killed. It's those unnecessary deaths caused by stupidity that make me so angry.

 

[Miss Chicken]

In a country that has several typhoons every year it is understandable that many people decide to stay in their homes especiially if their homes have survived intact through previous typhoons. Are they really that stupid to do that what has worked in the past?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I find maligning massive numbers of dead people for their "stupidity" to be in exceptionally poor taste.

 

[Miss Chicken]

It seems that the storm shelters in Tacloban (where the majority of the deaths seem to have occurred) weren't any safer than the homes that people sheltered in. Reports are saying that no building has survived intact in Tacloban and hundreds of people have died in the storm shelters.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I read the shelters flooded completely.

Here are before and after photos of Tacloban from the air

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/12/asia/gallery/typhoon-haiyan-before-after/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

 

[Miss Chicken]

The only 'good news' today is that the estimate of the amount of people killed has been revised downloads from 10,000 to 2500.

In my previous post my wording possibly suggested that most of the dead died in shelters when I meant the majority died in the city of Tacloban.

If anyone is interested these is a photo of what is in a ShelterBox

ShelterBox hopes that it will be able to provide shelter for 4000 families over the next few days.

 

[Hound of UIster]

What really shocked me was an interview showing people being totally shocked that their houses were destroyed and that they were lucky to have escaped alife. I mean, really - the government warned them several days ahead of the storm and virtually begged everyone to go to the shelters. All radio stations issued warnings literally every 5 minutes on Friday, a full day before the storm came. That anyone can be so foolish as to ignore all of that and stay at home is really unbelievable.

Neither that or the looting are very unbelievable imo given how things are there. Nonetheless none of it detracts from the tragedy of the event.

 

[JRS]

JRS, I'm glad your family and friends are okay.

Thank you all, though I must say that I dont really have a family there, just a gf and friends( albeit very close ones)
I am sorry if my OP was misleading somewhat.

The only 'good news' today is that the estimate of the amount of people killed has been revised downloads from 10,000 to 2500.

I think this estimate is sadly too low, judging what I have read from ppls comments from social media and the local news.
It seems also that many of the bodies are under the ruble or have not been located yet. I hope it would stay under the estimates but I am also afraid of the worst.

I am glad to see that the international community is responding so well to the disaster.
Seems the logistics offer the greatest problems right now and some bottlenecks have appeared..but I am sure that will ease up as soon as the additional choppers and airplanes arrives( from the US carrier and other ships).
Japan is willing to send up to 1000 troops to help, if needed...in addition to the 50 people they already have in the area. This is very historical, considering the darker history of these two nations.
It is always great to see the World come together to help a fellow humans in need, wish it would work in non distress situations so well, too.

ShelterBox hopes that it will be able to provide shelter for 4000 families over the next few days.

That is quite brilliant box I must say. It will certainly be useful in a situation like this..and beyond.

I gave some money to the Red Cross myself yesterday. It was not much but I am sure every little bit helps in a disasters like this.

Do you happen to know how long it might take for telephone and internet connections to the Philippines to be restored?

I sadly not have this kind of information...the news are saying from days to weeks but the situation is developing all the time.

News from the Philippines:
http://www.rappler.com/

http://anc.yahoo.com/

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I find maligning massive numbers of dead people for their "stupidity" to be in exceptionally poor taste.

You misunderstood me, RM. I proipably didn't make myself 100% clear. By no means did I mean to criticise the dead people. After all many of them had no chance to reach a shelter.
What made me so angry were those grossly negligent 2 people they showed on TV who had in spite of all warnings not gone to shelters (though they had one in the immediate vicinity) and then complained that their houses got destroyed by the storm and their families got hurt.
It makes me furious that by not listening to the warnings they caused their children and elderly family members getting injured and risked that they could have gotten killed.
Mind, I only refer to those 2 people they showed on TV, not to all those others who lost family members and friends without being responsible, directly or indirectly.

Fortunately, my relatives live on Davao which didn't get hit that hard. They live far out in the country and couldn't go to a shelter as there was none within reach but the father of the family is a carpenter and built the house very well and so strong that it didn't get damaged at all. The children brought in a breeding chicken, complete with nest, and 14 chicks hatched during the storm It kept the kids so occupied that they didn't even find the time to get scared.

 

[Miss Chicken]

The latest video from ShelterBox. The little girl being held by her father at the end of the video is named Jingle Heart - how sweet.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0lUdMw8fLY[/yt]

and, from a couple of days ago, comes this very sad story

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpNPKJvSITc[/yt]