President declares emergency measures as aid trickles in for millions of people
left destitute by the Haiyan superstorm.
According to Aljazeera, national state of calamity has
been declared in the Phillipines as the country reels from the destruction of
Typhoon Haiyan, with an expected death toll expected to reach tens of
thousands.
The president, Benigno Aquino, on
Monday declared emergency measures to get aid to the many millions of people
left destitute by the superstorm, and promised them that "help will reach
you faster and faster".
"My appeal to you all is:
remaining calm, praying, co-operating with, and assisting one another are the
things that will help us to rise from this calamity," he said in a
televised address.
An international relief effort began
in earnest on Monday, with a host of countries and organisations including the
US, the EU, New Zealand and Australia pledging relief to the Philippines.
The Philippine military confirmed
has 942 dead, but shattered communications, transportation links and local
governments suggest the final toll is days away.
The worst hit area, Tacloban, was
all but flattened by the typhoon's 300km an hour winds and storm surge, with
only some concrete buildings left standing. It is here that officials believed
up to 10,000 have died.
Philippine soldiers were
distributing food and water in Tacloban, and assessment teams from the UN and
other international agencies were seen for the first time. The US military
dispatched food, water, generators and a contingent of marines to the city, the
first outside help in what will swell into a major international relief
mission.
"I don't believe there is a
single structure that is not destroyed or severely damaged in some way - every
single building, every single house,'' said US Marine Brigadier General Paul
Kennedy after taking a helicopter flight over the city.
Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting
from Tacloban, said the city was in disarray.
He reported that the military was
arriving at the destroyed Tacloban airport and bringing some supplies, but that
it was "clearly still not enough".
Authorities have said at least 9.7
million people in 41 provinces were affected by the typhoon.
What a calamity!
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