Super Typhoon Yolanda Philippines Ferocious might of wind and water of Yolanda combined to reduce islands, cities and villages into vast lands of unimaginable devastation with the dazed living literally walking among the dead. Thirty-nine provinces were deeply scarred by Yolanda’s path leaving to date and counted 1,774 dead, thousands injured and missing. More accounts of destruction and deaths are pouring in. Approximately 6M people were affected by Yolanda with 700,000 rendered homeless. Initial estimates of damages amounting to roughly Php 500M is dwarfed by a US based disaster expert’s study that as much as $15B is the economic cost overtime wrought by Yolanda. Numbers and statistics could still rise…These are incomparable to the real and actual human faces and images of pain and suffering of losing loved ones, livelihood and hard-earned possessions with no assurance of hope they could bring them back in the very near future. They bear not just the loss but the shock of having witnessed a super typhoon wreck their houses and city or village….and their lives even if they survived. In the last four days, government had given 30.7M worth of relief assistance. But many yet had to be reached or were barely given aid due to impassable road network and limited communications. There are hundreds of other towns and villages stretched over thousands of kilometers that were in the path of the typhoon and with which all communication has been cut, said Natasha Reyes, emergency coordinator in the Philippines at Médecins Sans Frontières. We have a scenario where large swaths of land were affected that officials and rescuers were among the victims – killed or suffered loss of kin - and so need relief and assistance themselves. Local governance and government structures in hard-hit areas crumbled as well. Officials were dead, missing or too overcome with grief to work. Of the citys 293 police officers, only 20 had shown up for duty, Secretary Mar Roxas of local government units said.Basically, the only branch of government that is working here is the military, Philippine Army Major Ruben Guinolbay told Reuters in Tacloban. The sisters in Cebu are fine. The casualty was a big mango tree that fell on the garage….the superior, Sr Sandra, suffered a little fall in the stairs in the convent. Our Cebu convent had more cracks on the walls of both the first and second floors, following the recent earthquake of 7.2 magnitude that hit Bohol and neighbouring towns and also left so many damages including historical churches. What have we done so far in collaboration with the Franciscans and other agencies: -We had released letters asking for cash donations from the communities and their friends and we are starting to receive donations... - Sisters from the provincialate, went to Department of Social Work and Development(DSWD) warehouse to know the system of preparing relief goods. They also help repacked goods to be sent to affected areas. - Lay associates and our students from the catechetical center in cubao will also go DSWD and other relief centers to help. -We have delivered 32 sacks of rice and assorted boxes of canned goods to the OFM Provincialate for repacking and transport to Guian, Tacloban and Ormoc -(from Stella Maris College students) - 6 sacks of rice and canned goods were delivered for Samar through Bro Joel, OFM Capuchin, a doctor who is member of the medical team of the franciscans. - we purchased 80 cases of bottled water. Owner gave 16 cases more. Will be delivered to Bro. Joel tomorrow
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 09:29:42 +0000
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