Two broadcasters perished while airing news on storm

CEBU, Philippines - Our media colleagues Allan Medina and Ronald Vinas of Aksyon Radyo-Tacloban DYVL are confirmed dead. Vina's body is yet to be retrieved from the debris, as of yesterday, including the bodies of two dependents of the radio staff.

Vinas was still broadcasting the onslaught of Yolanda with Medina and Babes Custodio when the station building was hit by the storm surge. Custodio was injured and was taken out by two radio personnel, but Vinas and Medina did not survive

There was still no power in Tacloban City, but Globe Communications signal was already available yesterday.

Eastern Samar province, especially the southern towns, has been badly hit by Yolanda. The province is still isolated in terms of communication and access.

In Guiuan town of Eastern Samar, Mayor Fe Abunda reported that other towns in her province that were literally washed out by the fury of Yolanda and left with 90 to 100 percent devastation are: Balangkaya, Hernani, McArthur, Guidapaoan, Salcedo, Mercedes, Lawaan, Giporlos and Balangiga.

In Basey town of Samar province, Barangay Councilman Bimbo Gula of San Antonio went to DYMS yesterday seeking help for their devastated village where only 100 out of over 1,000 houses remained standing. Casualties and missing persons in that barangay totaled at least 300, said village officials.

With this development, a relief and medical mission from Catbalogan City DRRM is now being prepared for San Antonio today, as village officials assured the city team of crowd control.

Through the initiatives of Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan, another team was deployed yesterday to personally collect data from towns in Samar province, itemized as follows:

Jiabong town had no casualty; Motiong (no casualty, schools and houses damaged); Paranas (one death, 16 houses and brgy hall damaged); Hinabanga (no casualty); Pinabacdao (one death); Calbiga (no casualty); and San Sebastian (no casualty).

Sources said that, as of this posting, 372 casualties were accounted in Basey town while about 3,000 were missing.

Meanwhile, on some online comments about "prioritization" in rescue, recovery, relief and even info gathering ... actually there is no such thing.

Available organizations or groups that volunteered to conduct rescue and recovery ops cannot just divide themselves and their available equipments otherwise they'll become useless. Some government rescuers already lost their lives in the course of their work, and most of them even left their families behind to be able to help the best they can in helping others, but then they were being accused of ignoring some areas needing help.

As of last Saturday, there was no official centralized operation center to direct rescue, recovery and relief ops, apparently because there was just a handful of volunteer groups and government people who can immediately respond to the situation in other areas.

It was a survivor from a rescue group of the Army from Tacloban who was able to relay the info of what had happened, thus understandably the first reaction team was dispatched to Tacloban. And these team of soldiers have to act accordingly based on what was progressing or needed in the area.

It was "slow", others would say especially for observers who are not in the area. It may be true, but that was the speediest for the rescuers who did not even have to take meals due to the urgency of the situation.

One day of clearing operations was not enough to get all the resources in rescue and recovery get through Tacloban City.

When info about Basey came in, an assessment team was immediately dispatched and subsequently rescue and recovery efforts were started.

When LGUs from Samar conducted rescue ops to Tacloban, it was not because Tacloban was a priority, but that first disaster info came in from there. The situation got aggravated when Samarnons and Catbaloganons alike started trooping to their LGUs to help on their families who were possibly trapped in the disaster.

More volunteers are needed now to address the situation; those already in the field are not supermen, and they were not there because of certain priorities but they were there to help the best they can. (FREEMAN)