US gives additional $25-M typhoon aid to Phl

TACLOBAN, Philippines – The United States is providing nearly $25 million in additional humanitarian aid to help the Philippines deal with the enormous devastation and deaths wrought by Typhoon Yolanda last month, US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday after touring the worst-hit region.

Kerry flew to Tacloban City, where he was overwhelmed by the vast landscape of wrecked villages that he saw. He visited a food-distribution center run by USAID and government welfare officers, talked with officials and consoled survivors.

Tacloban, a city of 220,000 people, bore the brunt of Yolanda’s fury last month as towering tsunami-like waves whipped up by the storm obliterated many of its coastal districts.

“This is a devastation unlike anything that I have ever seen at this scale,” Kerry said at a temporary USAID headquarters in Tacloban. “You have to see this to really believe it, and to feel it and understand it.” “It is really quite stunning,” he said. “It looks like a war zone and to many people it is.”

The new food aid, shelter materials, water and other supplies he announced for typhoon-lashed families bring the total US assistance package to $86 million to one of its closest Asian allies.

One of the most ferocious typhoons to hit on record, Yolanda (Haiyan) left more than 6,000 people dead and nearly 1,800 others missing. It damaged or swept away more than 1.1 million houses and injured more than 27,000 people.

More than four million people were displaced, with about 101,000 remaining in 300 emergency shelters in typhoon-smashed central provinces.   

“Entire communities leveled, water up to the second story of the airport tower, and all of this covered in water,” he said, gesturing toward tents during his visit to the USAID depot near Tacloban’s airport.

He said President Barack Obama had sent him to offer condolences and assure Filipinos of unwavering efforts in assisting the Philippines, which is considered a key US ally in the region.

“Last month’s typhoon broke the world’s heart, but what is certain is that it didn’t break the spirit of the people here,” he stressed.

Kerry paid tribute to the resilience, courage and determination of the survivors while waiting for international aid.

In a state dinner hosted by President Aquino Tuesday, Kerry described the Filipinos as “beautiful people-smiling, energized, and unbelievably strong as we have seen in their amazing resilience as they fight back against the extraordinary forces of Mother Nature.”

“And it is clear that we found new meaning in our relationship as we saw the United States join hands with you in order to respond to the needs of so many people,” he said. Kerry offered a toast for the health and resilience of Philippine-US relations. Aquino said that with its quick response to pleas for help for Yolanda victims, the US has proven its genuine concern for an ally in trouble.

Across Tacloban many remain homeless and are living in crowded camps or in temporary shelters made from scrap wood and tarpaulin.

A faint stench of decay hangs in the air, almost six weeks after the tragedy, and authorities are still struggling to fully restore some essential services as Christmas approaches.

“We are trying to get the Christmas spirit up, but it is not easy when you’ve lost relatives,” said Catholic priest Amadeo Alvero, who administered last rites to hundreds of dead or dying victims in the immediate aftermath of Yolanda. – AP,Aurea Calica