Super Typhoon Haiyan Ravages Phillipines

The Phillipines is in a state of emergency after super typhoon Haiyan made landfall, killing more than 10,000 people.  Tacloban city, the capital of Leyte province, took the majority of the storm; the majority of its residents are now without shelter, food or water. Aid has been sent but it is being held up by blocked roads and debris. The storm is said to have affected more than 9.7 million people. At least 1,774 people are confirmed dead, with 2,500 injured and 82 missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Typhoons are not uncommon for the Phillipines, but locals insist that the government has not learned its lesson. In December 2012 Typhoon Bopha killed 1,067 while Thelma, the deadliest storm in Philippine history, killed 5,080 in November 1991.

Rain is making relief efforts difficult and over 660,000 people may be displaced. Material losses are said to exceed $12 million, or 5 percent of the economic output, a devastating number for Phillipines. Many countries have pledged aid and hope to intervene soon. Four out of five airports are open and accepting aid from international sources, but some say the relief effort has been delayed.

The typhoon itself made landfall on Friday, November 8 and boasted 147mph winds and is one of the largest storms in recent history. Officials estimate 10,000 deaths, as stated earlier, but have not been able to make official counts.  Many structures in the path of the storm were destroyed, and thousands plea for help. Many corpses have been found, but until an infrastructure has been established, they must lie in the streets. The World Heatlth Organization stresses the need for sanitary conditions and clean water.

This catastrophe highlights the need for proper risk prevention and disaster preparedness techniques. In class we discussed the timeframe for relief, which can be described as the golden hours. Usually the golden hours are the first 24 hours after a disaster in which rescue efforts can be made to reduce loss of life. However, in this situation, many mitigation and prevention techniques could have been applied before the storm. Some mitigation techniques could have been proper buildings that can withstand typhoons, proper warnings to evacuate affected communities, and efforts to prevent loss of life.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-11/philippines-declares-calamity-as-fresh-storm-approaches.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57611701/philippines-typhoon-survivors-plead-for-help-as-scale-of-devastation-becomes-clear/