A US aircraft carrier and its escort of two cruisers have arrived off
the Philippines coast to help communities devastated by Typhoon
Haiyan.
The top US commander in the Philippines told the BBC that US military
support would be on an unprecedented scale.
Officials have begun burying some typhoon victims in mass graves. The
confirmed death toll stands at more than 2,300 but is likely to rise.
The UN says some 11 million people have been affected by the typhoon.
Helicopters: With images of the suffering flashed around the world, a
huge international aid effort has swung into operation.
Philippine Health Minister Enrique Ona told the BBC that international
criticism of the government’s relief efforts was “unkind”.
He said the final death toll was likely to be “significantly lower”
than an early estimate of 10,000, but warned that it was unlikely all
victims would be identified.
The USS George Washington will expand search-and-rescue operations and
provide a platform for helicopters to move supplies, the White House
said.
Two US destroyers are already in the Philippines and other US vessels
are expected to arrive in about a week, the US Navy said.
On Wednesday the US also ordered the activation of a hospital ship,
the USNS Mercy. However, if deployed, it would not reach the
Philippines until December.
The UK government is sending the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious,
more than £20m ($32m) in aid, a team of medical experts and an RAF
transport aircraft.
US Marine Brigadier General Paul Kennedy told BBC Radio 5 live that
the US aid effort was being stepped up to a level that has “probably
never been applied” to a humanitarian crisis.
He said the arrival of the USS George Washington would triple the
number of available helicopters, which can also deliver hundreds of
thousands of gallons of water every day.
Other countries have also pledged help in the shape of financial aid,
relief supplies or emergency teams.
Japan is also preparing to send up to 1,000 troops as well as naval
vessels and aircraft, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said.
China – which is engaged in a territorial dispute with the Philippines
– is sending 10m yuan ($1.6m; £1m) in relief goods.
Its initial pledge of $200,000 (£120,000) from the government and
Chinese Red Cross combined drew criticism in US media, but was also
condemned by some Chinese internet users as excessive.
Orla Fagan, at the UN’s Humanitarian Affairs office in Manila, said
that after a slow start, the aid effort was now accelerating.
“People are angry, they are distressed, they are traumatised, and we
are trying to get this stuff out to them,” she said.
Unprecedented logistics
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land,
hit the Philippines last Friday.
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, visiting the devastated city of
Tacloban, said the situation was desperate with residents left without
food or fresh water for five days.
Aid was now getting in, she said, but “I do feel that we have let people down.”
Tacloban’s airport was left in ruins by the storm, but in recent days
US military planes have been arriving with World Food Programme
supplies. A French-Belgian field hospital has also been set up.
Manila has sent troops to Tacloban to keep law and order, but
correspondents say there is a growing sense of panic.
In some areas survivors have resorted to digging up water pipes and
extracting fuel from reservoirs at petrol stations.
Health experts have warned that the worst-affected areas are entering
a peak danger period for the spread of infectious diseases. – BBC News
