ANKARA (AA) – The international aid agencies have been trying to overcome extremely difficult transport conditions to reach survivors of typhoon which devastated Philippines. Anadolu Agency interviewed officials of aid agencies on the difficulties they are facing.
Widespread damage has been reported across nine regions of the Philippines. The UN estimates that more than 12 million people have been affected by the typhoon, with more than 700,000 left homeless. The official death toll passed 4,000 and is expected to rise substantially, according to statement of Gina Centanni, GCHope's logistics coordinator to AA correspondent.
Centanni added that the typhoon made landfall in the Philippines nine times at different locations, sweeping across the entire middle of the country, between Manila in the North and Cebu in the south.
“The destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan is catastrophic. This is one of the worst storms on record and it will need a massive response.” said Melanie Brooks Head of Global communications of CARE International. She stated that the extent of the damage to homes and infrastructure in Tacloban, capital of the Philippine province of Leyte, is reminiscent of the damage caused by the 2004 tsunami.
- Needs for food, shelter and water
Stating the need of food assistance to more than 2,5 million people, Brooks asserted people are drinking dirty water because pipes were damaged in the storm. Officials of CARE International reported that families have gone days without food and are desperately digging in the remains of their homes for supplies or standing in line for hours in the hopes of receiving some rice.
“Houses, schools, roads and infrastructure have been destroyed. A total of 670,000 people are currently displaced. Nearly 400,000 are taking shelter in evacuation centers, but hundreds of thousands are outside centers. Heavy rain is adding to the misery of those sleeping outside”, said Melanie Brooks.
Brooks added getting in enough aid supplies and equipment is difficult, as the main airport in Tacloban has been damaged. Electricity, water and communications have been cut off, fuel supplies are low, and roads are damaged or covered in debris.
- CARE's staff tells about the nightmare
CARE has deployed its staff in the outskirts of the coastal town of Ormoc and in the city of Tacloban, Southern Leyte. CARE’s Sandra Bulling explained the scenes of devastation:
“We are in Tacloban, and we’ve just driven along the coast. There are dead bodies along the coast, and the terrible smell of decay. There are bodies along the road. It’s pretty horrific. The whole team is shocked by what we’ve seen. I’ve never seen anything like this. This will haunt me for a long time.”
“The roads are mainly clear, but there is debris everywhere. You have to drive very slowly, and the cleared part of the road is very narrow. At one point, we didn’t have a spare tire left; if our tire had blown, we would have been stranded.”
Bulling noticed despite the chaos, people are very calm and patient. When she asked for directions, people showed willingness to help. There were too many people who waited for hours in the water, according to observations of Bulling.
- Trying to reach the spot
The regional adviser of UNICEF in Manila, Chris de Bono told Anadolu Agency that the typhoon affecting communications and access to the region, is very big, so they were unable to reach the spot. De Bono asserted their priority is finding out what the situation there is and make it possible to get aid to people, especially to children.
Moreover, the spokesperson at the ICRC for Asian and Pacific, Ewan Watson stated that the situation is extremely difficult for survivors in Tacloban and other coastal areas, such as Samar Island. Adding the access to affected areas is not easy since the transport infrastructure is down and there is widespread insecurity, Ewan is committed to help those in need and aid is on its way.
Spokesperson of ICRC in South Asia, Anastasia Isyuk said they tried hard to access to the hit areas due to the difficult conditions in Philippines.
Another aid organization, Save the Children has tried to deliver help arriving by plane to support millions of people across the country. The organization provides Philippines with 12,000 blankets, 4 mobile clinics with all the necessary medical equipment, 2,500 Kitchen Sets, according to the press release of Save the Children.
-Turkish Red Crescent
Turkey delivered humanitarian aid prepared by Turkish Red Crescent to Manila. The aid consisted of 550 tents, 550 food kits and 5125 blankets. In addition to this, Turkish humanitarian aid organization, Kimse Yok Mu (‘Is Anybody There?’) reached to Philippines for distributing aid. The humanitarian organization took a decision on $ 1 million in immediate aid, stated on its webpage.
On Friday prayers across Turkey donated cash in mosques in an attempt organized by Religious Affairs Directorate.
