Report
Monster typhoon “Haiyan” blasts across Philippines
One of the
strongest typhoons ever to hit land has slammed the Philippines, forcing
millions to take shelter. The storm ripped apart buildings and triggered
landslides as it grew across the country's central islands.
Hundreds
of thousands of people are reported having lost their homes.The official death
toll stands at more than 2,300, but local officials and aid workers say it
could rise much higher.
Watching a
video shot by BBC it is said that some residents have expressed anger at the
slow speed of the government help.
The United Nations said some survivors had no food, water or medicine. Rescue operations
were held up because roads, airports and bridges had been destroyed or were
covered in wreckage.
President
Benigno Aquino said he feared there would be "substantially more
casualties".
One
resident, Sandy Torotoro, told Associated Press he was swept away when his
house was ripped apart.
"When
we were being swept by the water, many people were floating and raising their
hands and yelling for help. But what can we do? We also needed to be
helped," he said.
About 90 U.S. Marines and sailors headed to the Philippines and promised
military assistance for help, U.S. officials said. President Obama said the United States was ready to provide
additional aid. The city of Tacloban was one of the worst-hit areas,
now residents gathered at the devastated airport for the help they have been
promised.
Aquino has expressed himself at conflicting reports on
damage and deaths. One TV network quoted him as telling the head of the
disaster agency that he was running out of patience.
"How can you beat that
typhoon?" said defense chief Voltaire Gazmin, when asked whether the government
had been baldy prepared.
"It's the strongest on
Earth. We've done everything we can, we had lots of preparation. It's a lesson
for us." referring to us not having taken enough responsibility of our
own.
Typhoon
Haiyan - one of the most powerful storms ever occured- is now closing down on
Vietnam, where tens of thousands are already being evacuated, and preparing for
the worst.
