5 fatalities registered in Camotes

CEBU, Philippines - At least five people have died when typhoon Yolanda hit Camotes Islands on November 8.

Camotes took a direct hit that flattened most villages, but out of a population of 89,400 there were only five confirmed fatalities.

Alfredo Arquillano, the former mayor of the islands’ largest town, San Francisco, said Camotes residents had been practicing typhoon drills for years.

“We knew we were vulnerable, so we made absolutely sure that everybody knew what to do and where to go,” Arquillano said.

All 1,000 residents of one of the chain’s tiniest islets, Tulang Diyot, were evacuated to a larger island before Yolanda made landfall.

“My goodness, it was a good decision. It’s fair to say it saved everyone’s life. There is not one house left standing on Tulang Diyot. Everything was wiped out,” Arquillano said.

Aid reached surviors

Food and medical aid finally began reaching the desperate survivors of killer typhoon Yolanda in Leyte and in Eastern Samar in substantial amount yesterday but humanitarian groups said huge logistical challenges in accessing devastated, remote island communities lie ahead.

President Aquino is scheduled to arrive in Tacloban City today to check on the progress and supervise relief operations.

The government said it had airdropped tons of relief goods over far-flung towns still inaccessible by road.

The unprecedented ferocity of the Nov. 8 typhoon and the scale of destruction had completely overwhelmed the initial relief effort, leaving millions in the worst hit Leyte and Samar provinces hurt, homeless and hungry, with no power or water.

Eight days later, a working aid pipeline was in place on the ground, funneling emergency supplies to those left destitute in the ruins of Leyte’s Tacloban City, while helicopters flying off the aircraft carrier USS George Washington brought some relief to outlying areas.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, in a press briefing held at the Leyte Sports Center, said 38 of the 40 municipalities in the province had been reached by aid, particularly sacks of rice, canned goods and water.

“We also dropped 830 food packs by chopper... to the remote villages,” Roxas said. The transcript of his interview was made available in Manila by Malacañang.

He said they had to resort to airdrop to reach remote villages in the mountains whose inhabitants could not go down to the city.

In Ormoc City, 15 of the 17 towns had been provided with relief assistance, Roxas said.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang, who was with Roxas in Tacloban City, would later say all 40 towns in Leyte had in fact received assistance.

E. Samar gets help

He also said Eastern Samar was getting much-needed help but admitted rehabilitation and rebuilding may take time.

Earlier, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone lamented that his province had ceased to exist after being battered by Yolanda.

Carandang, who was back in Tacloban City yesterday after visiting Guiuan in Eastern Samar said the town was not hit by storm surges and that the real impact of Yolanda was most evident in the towns south of the provincial capital, Borongan.

According to Carandang, the local government of Guiuan remained fully functional and was assisting the national government in relief efforts.

“Guiuan itself serves as a hub from which relief goods are sourced for affected towns in Eastern Samar,” Carandang said, noting that relief efforts in the area were well-organized and well-coordinated.

Carandang said relief and rescue teams were provided the necessary resources for their operations.

“Funds for these are provided by the national government, while the LGU handles operations, and foreign groups and missions handle logistics. For example, the US Marines are serving as a logistical support contingent, while missions from France provide medical services,” Carandang said.  (FREEMAN)