As more than 10,000 people perished in the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan hit the coast of Vietnam on Monday morning.
Giant Typhoon Haiyan caused a real human tragedy in Southeast Asia. According to the latest estimates, nearly 10,000 people may have perished in the town of Tacloban alone, the main city on the island of Leyte, one of two islands (along with Samar) that were exactly in the path of the most powerful typhoon measured. nowadays. The total number of victims is however far from definitive since the most affected areas remain cut off from the world, the electricity and telephone networks being out of order. “The Philippine Red Cross teams are already taking care of several thousand victims in temporary reception centers in Masbate, San Pablo and Capiz”, indicates the organization’s website. The French Red Cross is also preparing to “deploy an emergency response team (ERU) specializing in the care and shelter of victims of natural disasters”.
Winds had reached up to 315 km / h and waves were 3 meters high when the typhoon hit the Philippine islands. About ” 70 to 80% of buildings and structures located in the path of the typhoon have been destroyed ”, thus indicated a senior official of the regional police force.
Change of typhoon course
The organization also indicates that it is preparing “actively for the arrival of the typhoon in Vietnam and its possible consequences”. More than 650,000 people have been evacuated on a preventive basis. Even if the typhoon lost in intensity – the winds no longer blowing at 120 km / h – it still worried Vietnam. According to the Red Cross, the change in the storm’s trajectory towards the north of the country risks “widening the area of the disaster from nine to at least fifteen provinces”, which could lead to the dispersion of relief operations. “This is one of the challenges,” commented Michael Annear, representative of the Red Cross in Vietnam, noting that with the change of trajectory, torrential rains and flooding could also affect the capital, where the residents have already started to stock up on food.
To help bring relief to the victims of the typhoon, the French Red Cross is appealing for emergency donations. You can donate online by clicking on this link or by sending your checks to: French Red Cross – Urgence typhon Haiyan – 75678 Paris cedex 14
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