Starvation and fear in the land laid waste by 200mph typhoon that killed at least 10,000

Daily Mail ^ | 10 November 2013 | BECKY EVANS, RICHARD SHEARS and SOPHIE JANE EVANS Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl

[Kartographer]

‘My husband tied us together but still we got separated among the debris. I saw many people drowning, screaming and going under... I haven’t found my husband.’ Despite mass burials, the dead remain piled by roads and trapped under wreckage. Families clawing at the ruins to find survivors or food were overpowered by the reek of rotting bodies. Village councillor and father-of-four Edward Gualberto said he stepped on corpses as he took food from the remains of their homes. He added: ‘I am a decent person. But if you have not eaten in three days, you do shameful things to survive. We have no food, we need water. This typhoon has stripped us of our dignity, but I still have my family and I am grateful for that.’

[Marcella]

“Unless the typhoon creates something resembling a tsunami.”
“Surely you’ve heard of “storm surge”.”

An eye witness said the water was as high as a tall coconut tree. The power behind that much water would devastate whatever was in front of it.

[dsc]

“For those who could not evacuate or had no safe place to go”

The vast majority. The Philippines is a poor country.

[Safetgiver]

I’d like to go help (I was stationed there for over a year) on my own dime, but I ain’t going to Mindanao. I can’t find out what happened to Luzon.

[bgill]

shouted one woman. 'When are you going to get bodies from the streets?

You? You? Hey, lady, how about you helping out instead of complainging. YOU will be the one getting sick from the decaying bodies unless YOU get busy helping to bury them.

dozens of bamboo houses have been flattened by the storm... An average of 20 major storms or typhoons, many of them deadly, hit the Philippines each year.

They know these storms always flatten flimsy bamboo houses. Going out on a limb here, but how about building sturdier homes. Sure, many are poor but throughout history the enterprizing poor have survived.

Looks like the typhoon didn't disturb the actual ground much so it might be an idea to bury foodstuffs and water. Of course, keeping it dry with the high water level is a concern but could be done. It wasn't like they didn't have days of warning. Stock up with what you can, seal it best you can with plastic or a pvc pipe, put it in a hole. Canned goods aren't going to rust in the ground for the few hours it'd be buried if you needed it immediately after the storm. This is day 3 and, just like Sandy, reports are people began starving before the storm passed.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

People described the waves as hitting “like a tsunami”, not that it was one.

I imagine that they force of the winds created the same upwelling waves that a tsunami does when it comes close to shore.

Either way, it is pure hell.

Never been in a tsunami but have been in a Pacific typhoon or two, in Taiwan and So. Vietnam.

[WVKayaker]

...but I ain’t going to Mindanao.

I jut moved to Davao City on the island of Mindanao. You are thinking of the Zamboanga region nearer to the Muslim countries of Malaysia and Sabah. They seek to destabilize the region for occupation. The arm quelled it and took few prisoners. Here, we have a mayor adamant that they cannot operate here. But, I went to the SM market for food the other day, and they inspect all the cars entering the lot with mirrors underneath and trunk searches. They leave little to chance!

Detroit has a bigger problem than the Island of Mindanao. But, Leyte is at the center of the devastated region. All the news is concentrated on Tacloban due to an airport where the newsies can fly in, but Ormoc City has few buildings left and tens of thousands homeless. It looks almost as bad as Nagasaki and Hiroshima!

[WVKayaker]

Going out on a limb here, but how about building sturdier homes.

Idiotic statements are bond to appear on these threads. How can anybody be so naive? A small block house costs a million pesos or more.

The minimum wage laws are here, but few pay any attention to them. A worker in a sugar cane or rice field makes about 150 PhPesos a day. A 50 kilo bag of rice sells for 2000PhP more or less, but most can't buy the bag. Instead, they will go to a little sari-sari store and buy a daily ration or two for 20 or 30 p. They will pluck leaves from plants by the road as "vegetables" and eat dried fish for some protein.

It must be nice to be such a hypocrite when people AROUND THE WORLD have to live like this...

[Safetgiver]

I didn’t see your reply because it wasn’t “pinged”. I remember in the 70’s there was crap where we flew in to give ammo, pick up casualties, drop off equipment, etc and I’d ask the PC’s, Rangers or whoever “Who the Hell is shooting at us?” They’d grin and say “The bad guys,” I don’t know what province we were in but I knew Mindanao was not cool.

[deadmenvote]

Prayers for the people.

Looking at these pictures I notice most people are wearing flip-flops. I would at least get cheap tennis shoes if I had them.

[HiTech RedNeck]

These people were very poor before. Imagine now.

[WVKayaker]

I can't believe that I was spared, and so many of my friends in Ormoc are gone or everything they own is gone. I had planned to be there until the end of November, but now I am here in Davao. But, I am heading north at the end of the week to lend a hand where I can. I am a former building contractor from North Carolina and have built on the beaches there. I know Mayor Codilla and he has asked me to come and help. The conditions are terrible, but I will have a roof whereas many will not.

Ormoc City, Leyte

Photos courtesy Armed Forces of the Philippines, Al Jazeera

[upsdriver]

Are we doing anything to help? If it were a Republican president in charge, we would be on the scene immediately while the press would report endlessly how we aren’t doing enough.

[21twelve]

I was wondering if with Obama having Indonesian roots there might be a rivalry. But a quick search shows the Indonesians and Philippines are on good terms.

[bgill]

Guess you’re above scavaging.

[WVKayaker]

Looking at these pictures I notice most people are wearing flip-flops. I would at least get cheap tennis shoes if I had them.

$1US = 43PhPesos

Daily wage of most field workers and common laborers =150PhP.

Pair of flip-flops = 99PhP

Cheap tennis shoes = 699-999PhP.

Rice or tennis shoes? Hmmmmm...

[WVKayaker]

Guess you’re above scavenging.

Guess you're above caring! It's not about me.

Posted by me on another thread last night:

***

I just now got new text messages from friends in Ormoc City in the last few hours and it has been a few days since the storm. They have no power or water systems working. I already heard from others in the past days telling me of their loss and giving thanks to God that their families survived but they lost all.

I will quote the texts:

1st one: “Gud eve.im sory to tx u now. its emergency, i need ur help. d u see d n news @ result of super typhoon,we have no for, pls, i beg u and i need ur help as soon as possible,my house was lost2gone.”
2nd one: “as of now we have no relief goods.b’cos whole ormoc city was destroyed by yolanda.pls.help me u know me already. we have no food pls i really need ur help. i know have a good heart.”
3rd one: “U know tacloban are so many people died b’coz of tidal waves.its almost 50thousand more. hit in orm yolanda destroyed all properties.pls.i really need ur help.

Pray for Leyte...

To donate to a zero overhead effort- Convoy of Hope

[SuperSonic]

Please pray for those in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

I personally know the two gentlemen interviewed. They are missionaries out of our church in NC. They were able to evacuate after the storm to Manila.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/2830641134001/typhoon-survivors-plead-for-aid-as-death-toll-rises/

[TEXOKIE]

bttt