Typhoon YOLANDA (Haiyan)

[cardict]

If its any consolation the US Navy has re-directed an aircraft carrier strike group to help in the relief operations.

US carrier group to make 'best speed' to typhoon-hit Philippines | News | GMA News Online

That's a lot of resources and equipment that are very badly needed.

The last time an allied carrier strike group anchored off Leyte was near the end of World War 2. Now they're back.

With that ,what will you expect from the leftist? Sorry if OT

[Retz]

pati mga bata tumutulong na din.

[Retz]

DFA: Most int'l aid won't be passing through gov't



MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said most of the international aid that has been pledged or reported to have arrived here in the country will not be passing through Philippine government agencies.

"So far, except for Indonesia, all international donors that have pledged monetary donations are coursing the money through their aid agencies, or through NGOs, charitable institutions, and foundations of their choice," DFA Spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a press briefing on Wednesday, November 13.

The DFA, being the first point of contact with the international community, is the agency that is notified of pledges of international assistance. The DFA then passes the information to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other agencies involved in relief and rehabilitation efforts.

more.....
DFA: Most int'l aid won't be passing through gov't

dapat lang.... baka gawin scam ito sa laki ng donations involve.

[lowslowbenz]

With that ,what will you expect from the leftist? Sorry if OT

I think all they really need to do is to SHUT THE FCUK UP and HELP with the relief efforts. Now is not the time to dwell on political agenda's, rightist, leftist idealogies, etc.

People are dying out there, INC's included.

We should all pitch in, in whatever way we can.

[falken]

Bantayan Island in Cebu was also devastated.

[Sweetlucious]

MANILA, Philippines – The international media slammed the Aquino administration’s “disorganized” aid operation in areas levelled by monster typhoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan).
CNN journalists Anderson Cooper in his report said what is happening in Tacloban is a “demolition, not a construction job.”
“There is no real evidence of organized recovery or relief,” he said.
Cooper is among the top international journalists who are in the Visayas region covering the massive destruction inflicted by “Yolanda.”
He said it has been five days since the storm but it is still not clear who is in charge in providing assistance in the area. Fellow CNN journalist Paula Hancocks said the search and rescue never materialized.
Desperate scene
“It is a very desperate situation, among the most desperate I’ve seen in covering disasters…You would expect perhaps to see a feeding center that had been set up for 5 days after the storm. We haven’t seen that, not in this area,” Cooper reported.
He compared the Philippine government’s response to that of the Japanese government during the earthquake in 2011 where after two days, they have barely seen bodies scattered around the devastated areas.
Cooper said even without equipment, the Japanese soldiers used sticks in search for bodies and survivors.
BBC’s Jon Donnison also reported that “there does not seem to be an effective operation to get help to those in need.”
Palace defense
Malacañang, through Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, said relief goods were getting into the city.
But a reporter from the Associated Press who drove around Tacloban for around 4 miles Wednesday reported that “no evidence of any organized delivery of food, water or medical supplies, though piles of aid have begun to arrive at the airport.”
A report from the New York Times said a team from Médecins Sans Frontières, complete with medical supplies who arrived in Cebu island last Saturday have been looking for a flight to Tacloban up to Tuesday but was informed that Tacloban airport is only for the Philippines military use.
Aid accelerated
The administration, overwhelmed by the trail of destruction left by “Yolanda,” has vowed to accelerate relief and disaster efforts as major roads have been reopened and international aid began pouring into the country.
“It’s a logistics nightmare … that’s going to be addressed,” said Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, admitting at a briefing in Malacañang that the Aquino administration was not fully prepared to deal with a humanitarian catastrophe of this magnitude.
President Aquino himself met with key officials Tuesday night to revise the masterplan for disaster response amid criticisms by local and international media networks of the slowness—if not inadequacy—of government’s aid to the victims.
“We have to adjust; we have to expand (the masterplan). We have not seen anything at the magnitude we’re seeing now. Hundreds of thousands (are affected) now. The magnitude is big,” said Almendras.
The President said in an interview with CNN that “the sheer number of people that were affected in these three provinces is quite daunting.”
Five days after Yolanda struck, the national government has yet to reach all areas affected by the typhoon.
“Now, we will (not) deny the fact and we will not insist that all have received (aid) because there are those who have not received any. What we are saying is we need help in reaching all these (people) who have yet to receive (aid),” he said.
But Almendras said disaster response would be intensified with new directives from Aquino following the meeting.
Limited transport capabilities
“Well, this is the first time we are going to try it at this magnitude. So far, things are moving. So far, goods are moving. So far, the numbers are beginning to accelerate, we are stepping up. So it’s really the resources. You cannot imagine the degree of—you cannot imagine the magnitude of resources that need to be made available to do this,” said Almendras.
Almendras cited limited transport capabilities of the government and other logistical problems for the failure to get food packs, medicines and other relief goods to the people in the Visayas soon after Yolanda left the country over the weekend.
“How we wish … (but) we cant’ fly,” he said of only two of three C-130 transports planes currently working, and the safety issues in Tacloban City airport, which has no night-flying/landing capability.
“It’s not within the national government control how effectively we can hit the ground. There are places (that are) very remote. (Government officials) need to know (the victims’ needs) so that we can reach them,” said Almendras.
He said the difficulty of getting aid to the victims was due to the breakdown of disaster response mechanism on the ground, where local executives from barangay to the municipal and provincial levels—who should have been the first responders—were themselves victims of the typhoon.
He said the government was facing “not a small amount of work to be done.” “Admittedly, (in terms of aid distribution) we are at a small level today. We have a dream” to reach all the victims as ordered by the President on Saturday, he said.
Almendras said the government would fulfill the “challenging task assigned to us” in the coming days.
Asked if the quality and speed with which the Aquino administration was responding to the humanitarian emergency would define the presidency, Almendras said:
“I don’t think it is an acid test of this administration. This is an acid test of Filipino people. How well we handle this crisis will matter a lot. Yes, there will be challenges but we will move on.” With a report from Michael Ubac, Philippine Daily Inquirer



Read more: CNN, BBC, int?l media slam Aquino for ?disorganized? Yolanda aid response | Inquirer News
Follow us: *inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

[lowslowbenz]

I will re-post a reply from good friend in Cebu. This came thru the MBCP threads. He's more eloquent than I am so I guess most of you will get a grip on what he's saying.

Sorry po Sir Francis, never received your text! Communications were out during and immediately after the storm, so most likely it was lost in communication po.

Thanks for asking, Cebu City has been spared from the catastrophic wrath of the storm, but northern Cebu has been left in tatters, along with Capiz and Leyte as we all know by now.

We who have been spared this great tragedy are now tasked with an even greater responsibility, to help those who literally lost everything they had. This is the time to turn gratitude into generosity, a time to give until it hurts, and then give some more. This is a time for us to transcend all the boundaries of race, religion, nationality, and political affiliation, this is a time to make this one of humanity's finest moments by turning this heartbreaking physical tragedy into the triumph of the human spirit.

Please help. It does not matter where you channel your relief goods, your cash, or even your time and energy. Even helping out in the packing of the relief goods for the victims means a lot to those we may never even know or meet, but to let them know that there is a glimmer of hope despite losing everything is the very least we can do.

The situation could have very well been the other way around.

I think the guy is busy organizing relief operations for his northern kababayans right now.

[antonath]

Family friend in iloilo are ok pero yun farm nila and those fighting cock patay lahat.

Sent from Milkyway

[Monseratto]

Welcome to the Philippines, where everything is wishful thinking and disorganize... Even when there is no disaster.

THE WORLD IS WATCHING...

Korina Sanchez vs Anderson Cooper: What netizens think
BY RAPPLER SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM
POSTED ON 11/13/2013 3:34 PM | UPDATED 11/13/2013 7:36 PM

MANILA, Philippines - As part of his coverage on Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and its aftermath, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper reported on the difficulties and shortcomings of local relief efforts.

“You would expect perhaps to see a feeding center that had been set up 5 days after the storm," Cooper said. "We haven’t seen that, certainly not in this area. Some food is being brought to people here at the airport, some water being distributed but these are very, very difficult conditions for the people here on the ground and it’s not clear how much longer it can continue like this. Something’s got to give."

Cooper also tweeted his observations via the account *AC360 as he went around typhoon-ravaged Tacloban – from the lack of proper search-and-rescue missions, to paltry organization on the whole.

Local anchor Korina Sanchez reacted negatively to Cooper's reporting, and said over her DZMM radio program that Cooper didn't know what he was talking about.

Apart from being one of the country's top anchors, Sanchez is also the wife of Mar Roxas, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary. Roxas and DILG officials are in Tacloban, one of the areas hardest hit by the typhoon, to supervise government response.

[Monseratto]

Regarding the news that donations from Germany were "held-up" by the Bureau of Custong...