By: Katherine B.
Ten thousand people estimated dead. Six-hundred-twenty thousand displaced from their homes. In total, more than eleven million people affected across two-hundred-seventy towns and thirty six provinces. Typhoon Haiyan, perhaps the strongest tropical storm ever recorded, has left numerous cities in the Philippines ruined, torn apart families, and has killed thousands since it hit on Friday, November 8th. The Typhoon hit across a chunk of land roughly the size of Germany, and has caused a humanitarian crisis throughout the world.Of the many cities affected, Tacloban may have taken the brunt of the damage. Recently ranked the fifth most competitive city in the Philippines and second in the emerging cities category in a 2010 survey by the AIMPC, it is tragic to think just how far this promising city has fallen in less than a day. Houses have been reduced to piles of debris, streets flooded, cars turned over, and bodies piled on edges of roadways. Brigadier General Paul Kennedy describes the wreckages, saying, “Everything's destroyed. Roads are impassable, trees are all down, posts are down, power is down... I am not sure what else there is. I am not sure how else to describe this destruction.” This bleak picture is only the beginning of what survivors are now enduring.
Elena Aquino, who grew up in the Philippines and whose friends and family still live there, describes the situation with tears in her eyes. Thankfully, most of her friends and family have survived this trial, as most live in the northern Philippines, yet many of her friends have not heard back from their relatives who live further south. Some harder-to-reach areas are not getting the aid they desperately require, while others struggle to find clean water, shelter, and food. Still others have been cut off from electricity and are unable to reassure their worrying relatives. As Aquino puts it, it is the unknown that tears her apart: not knowing whether or not her friends are safe, while mourning all those who were not as fortunate as she was.
Currently, the lack of clean water for residents is the greatest concern. Supplies may not be reaching those who need them, and some remote areas are unreachable. Doctors are desperate for medicine, and more than two thousand Red Cross workers are providing as much aid as possible. The Canadian government has promised five million dollars of aid, and to match every dollar Canadian citizens donate to regulation Canadian charities. If you wish to help, the website below has many charities you are able to donate to. Our thoughts and hearts are with all those who were affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
Link to Donation Information
