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| Aid Groups in Philippines Fear Finding More Devastation | Aid Groups in Philippines Fear Finding More Devastation |
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| CEBU, the Philippines — International aid groups and foreign governments began ramping up their relief efforts in the Philippines on Wednesday, confronting daunting obstacles in areas where the scale of the devastation remains unknown five days after Typhoon Haiyan unleashed its fury. | CEBU, the Philippines — International aid groups and foreign governments began ramping up their relief efforts in the Philippines on Wednesday, confronting daunting obstacles in areas where the scale of the devastation remains unknown five days after Typhoon Haiyan unleashed its fury. |
| While the focus of relief efforts has been on Tacloban, a city of about 220,000, aid groups and government officials fear harder-to-reach areas have suffered devastation of similar intensity, albeit on a smaller scale. | While the focus of relief efforts has been on Tacloban, a city of about 220,000, aid groups and government officials fear harder-to-reach areas have suffered devastation of similar intensity, albeit on a smaller scale. |
| Just assessing the extent of the damage is still a challenge, said Nick Finney, the Asia humanitarian director for the charity Save the Children. His group is focusing on providing basic materials like plastic to build emergency shelters and equipment to produce and store clean water. | Just assessing the extent of the damage is still a challenge, said Nick Finney, the Asia humanitarian director for the charity Save the Children. His group is focusing on providing basic materials like plastic to build emergency shelters and equipment to produce and store clean water. |
| “We’ve got a lot of people without the basics and it is quite a confusing picture,” Mr. Finney said. “We don’t have good information outside cities. It might be as bad or worse in rural areas, but they’re quite spread out and it will take a long time to build up the full picture.” | “We’ve got a lot of people without the basics and it is quite a confusing picture,” Mr. Finney said. “We don’t have good information outside cities. It might be as bad or worse in rural areas, but they’re quite spread out and it will take a long time to build up the full picture.” |
| With the U.S.S. George Washington carrier group nearing the Philippines to help in the relief effort, the American military was already on the ground in Tacloban, installing equipment at the airport Wednesday so that relief and other planes could land at night. The U.S. was also using eight C-130 cargo planes to deliver aid. | |
| The Philippines’ remoteness has hampered the disaster response. While delivery of aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake involved a short trip from the United States, getting material into the Philippines requires flights from more distant locations like Australia, Singapore and Dubai. | The Philippines’ remoteness has hampered the disaster response. While delivery of aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake involved a short trip from the United States, getting material into the Philippines requires flights from more distant locations like Australia, Singapore and Dubai. |
| The slow response is potentially perilous for people with serious injuries sustained in the storm Friday. Some of the injured in Tacloban have been able to get flown out on military aircraft, but in outlying towns they may not be getting timely medical attention. | The slow response is potentially perilous for people with serious injuries sustained in the storm Friday. Some of the injured in Tacloban have been able to get flown out on military aircraft, but in outlying towns they may not be getting timely medical attention. |
| “The emergency health care window — it’s closing rapidly,” said Dr. Thomas Kirsch, director of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who is consulting with some aid groups in the Philippines. “You can only survive for so long with significant injuries. The need to get in with critical health care supplies is paramount.” | “The emergency health care window — it’s closing rapidly,” said Dr. Thomas Kirsch, director of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who is consulting with some aid groups in the Philippines. “You can only survive for so long with significant injuries. The need to get in with critical health care supplies is paramount.” |
| “When you consider the logistics involved of bringing food to hundreds of thousands of people with no immediate airport, it’s not something you fix overnight,” Dr. Kirsch said. “You have to put in perspective the severe nature of the event. This isn’t another little storm. This is a true catastrophe.” | “When you consider the logistics involved of bringing food to hundreds of thousands of people with no immediate airport, it’s not something you fix overnight,” Dr. Kirsch said. “You have to put in perspective the severe nature of the event. This isn’t another little storm. This is a true catastrophe.” |
| The tensions over the food shortages had deadly consequences Tuesday when thousands of people stormed a rice warehouse, leading to the collapse of a wall and killing eight people in the Leyte Province city of n Alangalang, officials said. | |
| The typhoon on Friday came as the government of the Philippines has been working to improve its response to disasters. | The typhoon on Friday came as the government of the Philippines has been working to improve its response to disasters. |
| “The government has been, over the past three or four years, trying to up its game,” said Steven Rood, the Asia Foundation’s country representative to the Philippines. | “The government has been, over the past three or four years, trying to up its game,” said Steven Rood, the Asia Foundation’s country representative to the Philippines. |
| Part of that effort has been a focus on releasing disaster funds more quickly and responding more rapidly to looming threats. | Part of that effort has been a focus on releasing disaster funds more quickly and responding more rapidly to looming threats. |
| “Preparations for this typhoon were in fact one step ahead of previous typhoons,” Mr. Rood said. “This is the first time we had a storm surge prediction. But people did not expect a storm surge like that, so they didn’t know how to respond.” | “Preparations for this typhoon were in fact one step ahead of previous typhoons,” Mr. Rood said. “This is the first time we had a storm surge prediction. But people did not expect a storm surge like that, so they didn’t know how to respond.” |
| Some of the problems in Tacloban were caused by the disappearance of the local government because of the magnitude of the storm’s destruction. | Some of the problems in Tacloban were caused by the disappearance of the local government because of the magnitude of the storm’s destruction. |
| “Something like 90 percent of the police disappeared because they were dealing with their own family calamities,” Mr. Rood said. | “Something like 90 percent of the police disappeared because they were dealing with their own family calamities,” Mr. Rood said. |
| Under Philippine law, provinces have strong autonomy and have first responsibility for disaster response. It is rare for the national government to step in to take over some local government functions, as it did after Typhoon Haiyan, Mr. Rood said. “I don’t recall it happening before in terms of national disasters,” he said. | Under Philippine law, provinces have strong autonomy and have first responsibility for disaster response. It is rare for the national government to step in to take over some local government functions, as it did after Typhoon Haiyan, Mr. Rood said. “I don’t recall it happening before in terms of national disasters,” he said. |
| Furthermore, there is a strong patriotic streak in the Philippines, particularly in the military, so they tend to hold a tight rein on disaster response. But the country is also open to outside aid, particularly if it is seen as augmenting the work of the government, Mr. Rood said. | Furthermore, there is a strong patriotic streak in the Philippines, particularly in the military, so they tend to hold a tight rein on disaster response. But the country is also open to outside aid, particularly if it is seen as augmenting the work of the government, Mr. Rood said. |
| “There is that strain of pride and nationalism, but so far as I’ve seen it hasn’t gotten in the way,” he said. | “There is that strain of pride and nationalism, but so far as I’ve seen it hasn’t gotten in the way,” he said. |
| One concern of aid groups has been that the Philippine government has been trying to play down the extent of the devastation and loss of life. On Tuesday, President Benigno S. Aquino III put the death toll from the typhoon at 2,000 to 2,500 people, dismissing estimates that as many as 10,000 may have died in Tacloban alone. On Wednesday the government’s official death toll hit 2,275 people. | One concern of aid groups has been that the Philippine government has been trying to play down the extent of the devastation and loss of life. On Tuesday, President Benigno S. Aquino III put the death toll from the typhoon at 2,000 to 2,500 people, dismissing estimates that as many as 10,000 may have died in Tacloban alone. On Wednesday the government’s official death toll hit 2,275 people. |
| The Red Cross gave a preliminary estimate that 22,000 people had been reported missing by their families, some of whom may yet turn up. | The Red Cross gave a preliminary estimate that 22,000 people had been reported missing by their families, some of whom may yet turn up. |
Austin Ramzy reported from Cebu and Gerry Mullany from Hong Kong. | Austin Ramzy reported from Cebu and Gerry Mullany from Hong Kong. |