Typhoon Haiyan Disaster in the Philippines

Jeff Head · Nov 15, 2013

IMHO, we need to stop focusing on how much one nation or the other gave or gives and be thankful for the cumulative international effort. $1.6 million in cash and relief goods should not be scoffed at.

Right now, urgently, even more important than that is the manpower, equipment, aircraft, etc. to get to those most severely impacted and bring them fresh water to begin with...and to begin burying the bodies.

The tracked vehicles the US Marines are bringing will help a LOT in that regard, but the scope of the disaster and the area covered is so large that it means they could use a lot more help in that regard.

bd popeye · Nov 15, 2013

Jeff posted

IMHO, we need to stop focusing on how much one nation or the other gave or gives and be thankful for the cumulative international effort. $1.6 million in cash and relief goods should not be scoffed at.

Exactly.. let's can the what nation did what and the media is bashing China again chit chat and other POLITICAL discussion.

Thank you.

bd popeye super moderator

Rutim · Nov 15, 2013

Any other countries aside from US and Japan dispatched their troops and vessels to Philippines?

TerraN_EmpirE · Nov 15, 2013

I know the Israelis defense forces have dispatched a number of Search and rescue teams as well as medical teams.
add to this the Brits have dispatched the HMS Illustrious. "Lusty" lacks a lot of the capacity of the George Washington but still offers a lot of help.

rhino123 · Nov 15, 2013

Singapore had sent in their C130 transports to ferry relief supplies to Philippines and also to be deployed there to help Philippines Armed forces on their relief efforts.

bd popeye · Nov 16, 2013

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BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to send rescue and medical teams to the disaster-stricken areas in the Philippines hit by Super Typhoon Haiyan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Saturday.

Hong said China has been paying high attention to the disaster situation in the Philippines, and has expressed for several times that it is considering providing humanitarian aid to the disaster areas.

Taking into consideration the actual demands of the typhoon-hit areas, the Chinese government is willing to send medical team there, Hong said.

The Blue Sky Rescue Team affiliated to the Red Cross Society of China and other non-governmental rescue teams also expressed their willingness to join disaster relief in the Philippines, he said.

China has maintained communication with the Philippines on the issue of medical assistance, and Chinese rescuers will set off for the disaster-hit areas immediately once conditions permit, Hong said.

Blackstone · Nov 16, 2013

bd popeye said:
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Good news! Bravo China! Now send more money than Ikea.

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BEIJING, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- China has received international criticism for failing to donate more to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.
China, the world's second largest economy, has pledged just $1.6 million in aid to the Philippines, where at least 3,621 people were killed and 236,000 homes were destroyed during the typhoon, USA Today reported.

However, the pledge, which was upped from an original offer of $100,000 after China received flack from the international community for the low amount, is less than a check written by Swedish furniture store Ikea.

"China's action illustrates the blundering nature of its foreign policy," said Phillip Swagel, a former assistant secretary for economic policy at the U.S. Treasury Department and co-author of "Awkward Embrace: The United States and China in the 21st Century." "This is an unforced error for them, revealing to other countries the limits of Chinese friendship."

Bonnie Glaser, an East Asia adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said China usually gives less aid to foreign disasters because it still sees itself as a developing nation.

"There's not a lot of support domestically in China for foreign assistance," Glaser said. "The leadership worries that they would be criticized if they were found to be giving too much money away and not helping the poor at home."

"They do give assistance, but in the disaster relief area they generally don't give very much compared to other countries," Glaser said.

Meanwhile, Ikea said it has donated $2.7 million to the United Nations Children's Fund, The Local.se reported.

"We provided cash assistance so Unicef can buy the kinds of supplies most needed by the children right now, like water purifiers, nourishment, medical supplies, etc," Ikea Foundation spokesman Jonathan Spampinato told The Local via email on Friday.

The United States has promised $20 million, while Australia has pledged $30 million, the United Kingdom pledged $16 million and the United Arab Emirates pledged $10 million.

Jeff Head · Nov 17, 2013

bd popeye said:
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I am glad to see this.

This is the most important kind of help right now that can be sent.

Boots on the ground providing hands on assistance.

The timing is very critical as survivors who have not received direct and requisite assistance are on their last legs by this point, and because help in avoiding the spread of disease and epidemic are critical. It takes people and equipment to do all of that.

If would be nice if we could focus on what was being done by the various parties instead of what is not being done. No matter how much any single, or even group of countries give in a disaster like this...there are simply too many people impacted, and too much debris and destruction to possibly be able to save everyone and prevent all hardship.

So the more we focus on the continuing and building efforts to help, the better. In the end you have whatever you have and making the best use of it requires that those teams trust each other, communicate and work together...not bicker and fight about who did what.

IMHO, that's what we ought to be focusing on.

bd popeye · Nov 18, 2013

This may have been one of the first food drops.. the people look panic stricken.

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Hungry Villagers mob a U.S. Navy helicopter which dropped desperately needed aid into the remote areas of the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines, Nov. 16, 2013. [CFP]

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Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan rush to grab the much needed supplies provided by a U.S. military helicopter, Nov. 16, 2013. [CFP]

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Philippine army soldiers collect boxes of canned goods for victims of typhoon Haiyan in Leyte Province at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, the Philippines, on Nov. 18, 2013. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

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A Philippine army soldier walks past sacks of rice for victims of typhoon Haiyan in Leyte Province at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, the Philippines, on Nov. 18, 2013. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

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11.15.2013...Child victims of typhoon Haiyan beg for help along side the road in Tacloban RP....

Jeff Head · Nov 18, 2013

bd popeye said:
This may have been one of the first food drops.. the people look panic stricken.

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Back in the more remote areas, if the crops are damaged, water supplies compromised, and nothing is able to get to them, you can imagine that after more than a week, if you do not have some supplies set aside, things are getting desperate at this point. There's a lesson in that (I wrote the following about the lessons I learned during Hurricane Katrina in the US in 2005 -

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).

I pray enough of this type of relief can reach these folks in outlying areas in time.

The other pics show that in more settled/urban areas that food is coming in and being stockpiled in warehouses. I hope the mean exist to get it moved to those areas that need it so it does not sit too long in such places.

Logistics in such a crisis are a huge hurtle to overcome.

Typhoon Haiyan Disaster in the Philippines

Jeff Head

General

bd popeye

The Last Jedi

Rutim

Banned Idiot

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King

rhino123

Pencil Pusher

bd popeye

The Last Jedi

Blackstone

Brigadier

Jeff Head

General

bd popeye

The Last Jedi

Jeff Head

General