Weeks after Typhoon Haiyan tore through the central Philippines, Catholic aid workers were continuing their emergency response. “The needs are basically huge,” said Sandra Harlass, an emergency relief coordinator for Malteser International, after returning to Manila from communities across the strait from the worst-hit city of Tacloban. “Ninety percent of the houses are destroyed...most were just washed away from the storm surge.” She said, “Together with the houses, of course, all the food supplies were washed away, all the nonfood items, like blankets, mosquito nets, everything is just gone.” The team of emergency relief assessors found people who had very little to eat nine days after the storm struck. A 15-foot storm surge struck Tacloban after the typhoon on Nov. 8, creating a tsunami-like effect that swallowed up people in its fast-rising floods and left bodies strewn about in its wake. The area suffered most of the more than 5,200 deaths recorded so far.
Great Need After Haiyan
Show Comments (0)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Mario Vargas Llosa's long literary life established him as a monumental figure in Spanish-language literature and Latin American history.
Canon law does not give much specific direction about who can make decisions for the church during the interregnum.
How “unity” and “clarity” are becoming buzzwords for reversing Pope Francis’ style of governance: a Conclave Podcast from America’s team in Rome
“He has given a great witness of humility, of closeness to the people, of living out the Gospel values. He has left a great example for us to follow,” a priest from Honduras told America.