Philippine Devastation Apocalyptic; 10,000 Feared Dead

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Category: World News

Published on Tuesday, 12 November 2013 21:21

Written by Janet Walker

Typhoon Haiyan, packing winds up to 315k/195mph began its death march at 9:45pm Thursday slamming into the Philippine nation cutting a swath of indescribable devastation and leaving widespread destruction and ruin in its wake.

Unofficially the strongest tropical storm to reach landfall, Typhoon Haiyan peaked with recorded winds gusting to 315k/195mph and sustained winds of 235km/145mph.

Typhoon Haiyan, given the name Yolanda by the Philippines, made landfall more than six times traveling with an unprecedented intensity through several provinces mauling the landscape until it became unrecognizable.

For those who survived the first impact of the super typhoon, a 17 foot storm surge, a tsunami, sent a wall of water across the coastal town of Tacloban, Lyete ripping children from the safety of their parent’s arms, smashing through walls, picking up moored freighters ramming them into homes.

The devastation in Tacloban, Lyete alone is unimaginable. The town in annihilated. The death toll is expected to rise over the initial estimate of 10,000 due to typhoon sustained injuries, lack of food, water and medical supplies.

The dead, covered in plastic, are lined one after another on the sidewalks; bloated and decaying bodies are contaminating the water supply.

Palms trees were pulled from the ground and snapped like matchsticks. Entire neighborhoods, especially the low lying areas have been demolished with the force of an atomic bomb.

Initial reports indicated that even with the fierceness of the winds that obliterated Tacloban, collapsing buildings, destroying homes, and damaging nearly every structure, it was the storm surge that ultimately annihilated the city.

Several reports indicated multiple storm surges as well as high waves. After the 17 foot wall of water, that destroyed the Tacloban Airport terminal building additional waves, 13 to 15 feet high, were also reported.

Media who have arrived in Tacloban have described unimaginable devastation, piles of debris and rubble, bloated and decaying bodies, shell shocked survivors wandering the streets looking for loved ones.

Military rescue and government aid has begun to arrive, but with the mass casualty, extensive damage and magnitude of the need even the quantities that are arriving are not enough.  Clean water is in short supply as is food, tents and medical supplies. 

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