Aid continues pouring to coastal cities stricken by Typhoon Haiyan
A roundup of global news听
As aid continued to pour into areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines, the death toll became a point of contention between the country鈥檚 government and the international groups assisting in the recovery. The controversy arose against the backdrop of widespread criticism at the pace and scale of relief operations, which some observers say is unjustified.
A week after Typhoon Haiyan rammed through the central Philippines some areas along the devastated coast have become hubs of activity, with hundreds of international aid workers bolstering the efforts of government forces to help local residents rebuild their lives. A Reuters report today 听being achieved in the badly hit city of Tacloban on Leyte island, where food and water deliveries have taken off in recent days and a makeshift hospital is bustling with energy.
Captain Victoriano Sambale, a military doctor who since Saturday has treated patients in a room strewn with dirt and debris in Tacloban, which bore the brunt of the storm, said there had been a change in the pace in the response.
鈥淚 can see the international support coming here,鈥� he said. 鈥淒ay one we treated 600-plus patients. Day two we had 700-plus patients. Day three we lost our count.鈥�
Relief operations received a boost yesterday when a US aircraft carrier听arrived on the scene. American helicopters are now ferrying pallets of food and water to Tacloban. The Associated Press听听that the helicopters have delivered 190 tons of supplies and flown nearly 200 sorties.
But the enormous logistics challenges and magnitude of the disaster mean that aid distribution remains patchy. Residents in some hard-to-reach coastal areas have yet to see help.
The Associated Press reported today from Guiuan, a city on the southeast coast of Samar island about 100 miles east of Tacloban, that local residents听听after waiting for days for aid to arrive.听
At 6 a.m., Dionesio de la Cruz was hammering together a bed, using scavenged rusty nails. He has already built a temporary shelter out of the remains of his house.听
"We're on our own, so we have to do this on our own," the 40-year-old said as his wife and mother slept on a nearby table. 鈥淲e're not expecting anybody to come and help us.鈥�
There are now signs that help is on its way. The BBC wrote this morning that US helicopters were lifting off from the aircraft carrier to听. And additional relief crews are arriving by the hour, including a Norwegian navy vessel that听听Friday with 40 tons of rice, medicine and supplies. A British aircraft carrier is also听. 听
Meanwhile, the estimates of how many peopled died in the storm diverged on Friday. The official death toll听听(from 2,360 reported yesterday), according to the Philippines disaster relief agency. But a new tally by the UN听听at 4,460 based on its own reporting.
The UN鈥檚 report met with skepticism from Philippines officials, who听. Speaking with reporters in Manila, Eduardo del Rosario, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, added the cautionary tale of a city mayor dismissed from his post after overestimating the number of fatalities. The UN is now conducting a review of its figure, according to an agency spokesperson听.听
All parties agree on one thing: the toll is poised to climb further as recovery crews dig though debris and as some of the missing 鈥� officially at 1,187 today 鈥� are confirmed dead.
The government has continued to defend its handling of disaster response in the face of criticism that it had been caught off guard by the storm. 鈥淚n a situation like this, nothing is fast enough,鈥� Interior Secretary Mar Roxas听听according to the BBC. 鈥淭he need is massive, the need is immediate, and you can't reach everyone.鈥�
An editorial in Time by John Crowley, a research affiliate at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative,听听to stop 鈥渃atastrophizing鈥� the Philippine aid efforts. Criticism of disaster response and media scaremongering are common reactions to natural disasters, Mr. Crowley writes, recalling the examples of Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. But critics often 鈥渕iss the point,鈥� undermining local communities鈥� efforts to rebuild.听
When I talked with colleagues on the ground and friends who have worked in the Philippines, it became clear that these reports do not reflect the Philippines they know or the situation they are confronting. Worse, these reports are amplifying the problem. Here鈥檚 why:
After a disaster, there will always be delays in the delivery of aid. While planes and helicopters can arrive in 24 to 48 hours after the storm clears, massive deliveries can only arrive by ship, which can take several days to sail 鈥� longer if they have to sail around a massive storm. Worse, damaged ports may take weeks to fix. With severe damage like that in Tacloban, roads may be impassible for many days or weeks, making distribution of aid difficult.听
It is time to look at how effectively international organizations are supporting a normally well-oiled (but now struggling) domestic response capacity, not how international aid shipments are arriving late.听
How you can donate
As The听Philippines听begins the process of healing and rebuilding after the devastating听Typhoon Haiyan, aid groups are moving quickly to offer everything from safe drinking water to medical care. Here are some of the organizations that are offering help. You can click on the highlighted text for information on how to donate.
1. The听听and the听听are accepting听听and coordinating disaster relief on location. Follow the Philippine Red Cross听and听听for updates. 听
2.听, which delivers emergency food aid, is accepting听听and through听.
3.听听is accepting听donations online听to provide children affected by the typhoon with drinkable water, hygiene supplies, food and shelter.
4.听听aims to provide 100,000 families with shelter, water, sanitation, and essential living supplies. It is accepting听.
5.听听is accepting听听for addressing survivors鈥� immediate needs.
6.听听is accepting听听to help 400,000 people meet the most urgent needs of food, clean water, and emergency shelter.
7.听听is rushing personnel and supplies to provide medical care in the affected areas. It is accepting听.
8.听听is on the ground meeting the immediate needs of survivors, providing food, water, and shelter. It is听听online. 听
9.听, a Catholic charity, is accepting听听and through听.
10.听听has mobilized an emergency response team to provide clean water and hygiene and sanitation supplies to survivors. It is听听online.听
11.听, a charity fundraising website, is accepting donations to its听听to support immediate relief and longer-term recovery.
