In one of the most dangerous and epic storms of all time, an estimated 10,000 people have been killed in a typhoon that hit the Philippines last Friday. Hearing the bare number, 10,000, might not quite sink in, but consider this: when your grandfather or friend died, it devastated you. Now consider this happened to 10,000 countrymen at once. The Philippines has been pressed to its utter limits in this disaster, and the predominately Roman Catholic nation is asking the world for prayers and funds to try to rebuild their structure and above all – survive.
“People are walking like zombies looking for food,” said Jenny Chu, a medical student in Leyte, as reported by the Huffington Post. “It’s like a movie.”
“We had a meeting last night with the governor and the other officials,” said police chief superintendent Elmer Soria, as reported by Reuters. “The governor said, based on their estimate, 10,000 died, the devastation is so big.”
The super typhoon Haiyan ravaged up to 80 percent of the structures in its path in the Leyte province, and tapered off and had less of a devastating effect on Vietnam, which it hit shortly thereafter.
As with most large-scale disasters, looters are taking advantage of the situation, and hampering rescue teams. For this reason, the government is considering declaring martial law.
“From a helicopter, you can see the extent of the devastation. From the shore and moving a kilometer inland, there are no structures standing. It was like a tsunami,” said Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas. “I don’t know how to describe what I saw. It’s horrific.”
When asked whether the Philippine government is to blame for the devastation, defense chief Voltaire Gazmin said, “How can you beat that typhoon? It’s the strongest on Earth. We’ve done everything we can, we had lots of preparation. It’s a lesson for us.”
Let those who can contribute do so, to aid fellow human beings in one of the Philippines’ most devastating events of all time.