Typhoon Haiyan (known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda) is the second-deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 3,976 people in that country alone. The thirtieth named storm of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season, Haiyan originated from an area of low pressure several hundred kilometers east-southeast of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia on November 2.
The eye of the cyclone made its first landfall in the Philippines at Guiuan, Eastern Samar, without any change in intensity; if verified, this would make Haiyan the strongest tropical cyclone to make a landfall on record, surpassing the old record of 305 km/h (190 mph) set by Atlantic Hurricane Camille in 1969. Gradually weakening, the storm made five additional landfalls in the country before emerging over the South China Sea. Turning northwestward, the typhoon eventually struck northern Vietnam as a severe tropical storm on November 10. Haiyan was last noted as a tropical depression by the JMA the following day.
The cyclone caused catastrophic destruction in the central Philippines, particularly on Samar Island and Leyte. According to UN officials, about 11 million people have been affected and many have been left homeless.
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One week after the storm, food and supplies are now beginning to reach survivors, but aid agencies say the logistics of distribution are enormousThe UN put the number of dead at 4,460. Officials said it was likely more bodies would be found as aid teams reached outlying areas.
‘Desperate shortage’
Helicopters from a US aircraft carrier have been transporting supplies to the devastated town of Guiuan on the Pacific coast – the first to take the full force of the typhoon.
The carrier, USS George Washington, is expanding search-and-rescue operations and providing a platform for helicopters to move supplies.
Pallets loaded with food and water have been taken from the aircraft carrier to Tacloban, the capital of badly hit Leyte province, and Guiuan.
However, the Philippine government says efforts to deliver aid are being hampered by a desperate shortage of trucks.
“In a situation like this, nothing is fast enough,” said Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. “The need is massive, the need is immediate, and you can’t reach everyone.”
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