The U.S. Navy arrived with a mammoth aircraft carrier Thursday to bring much-needed aid to hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who have gone without food and clean water for nearly a week.
The Navy cut short the shore leave of the crew of 5,500 to send it on the relief mission to the area ripped apart last week by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest cyclones on record.
Its winds, 3.5 times as strong as those of Hurricane Katrina, pushed in a wall of water 15 feet high, washing away towns on many islands in the south of the country.
Seven more ships accompanied the carrier USS George Washington. All total, they have about 80 aircraft on board that could participate in search, surveillance and distribution missions, said Paul Macapagal, a Navy spokesman.
But for now, they will lean the most on their 21 helicopters to carry supplies to hard-to-reach areas destroyed in the storm.
One of the ships, a nearly 700-foot supply vessel, made its first delivery of food and water to the devastated city of Tacloban in the Philippines.
By Thursday morning, the official death toll climbed to 2,357. More than 3,800 were injured and 77 are reported as missing, though that number is likely higher.
Earlier fears that the death toll could reach 10,000 have subsided. The national police Thursday dismissed the officer who made the initial prediction, state-run Philippine News Agency reported.
"Even if police officials have figures, they should send them to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, which should collate the numbers and officially release them," spokesman Alan Purisima said.
Tweet Follow @punshcomempower
50% off Hosting for your Website at GoDaddy.com!
It's a BIG Deal! $5.99* .COM from GoDaddy.com!
It's a BIG Deal! $5.99* .COM from GoDaddy.com!
Host a site without stress on namecheap eApps|YOUR APP HOSTING PROVIDER
Submit your Website
Free webmaster resources including SEO Tools, Computer Glossary, Templates Sign up to BIGTIMEBUX today!
0 comments:
Post a Comment