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Typhoon Aid Gridlock Paralyzes Epicenter of Damage in Philippines Typhoon Aid Gridlock Paralyzes Epicenter of Damage in Philippines
(about 1 hour later)
TACLOBAN, the Philippines — Typhoon relief gridlock threatened to paralyze rescue operations in the most devastated part of the Philippines on Wednesday, with aid piling up but few ways to distribute it, plentiful gasoline but no merchants willing to sell it, and an influx of emergency volunteers but no place to house them. TACLOBAN, the Philippines — Typhoon relief gridlock threatened rescue operations in the most devastated part of the Philippines on Wednesday, with aid piling up but few ways to distribute it, plentiful gasoline but no merchants willing to sell it, and an influx of emergency volunteers but no place to house them.
The intensifying frustrations of delivering aid five days after Typhoon Haiyan struck elicited a plea from the top United Nations relief official to the mayor of Tacloban, imploring him to persuade gas station owners to open so relief convoys can begin a large-scale expansion into the razed port city of 220,000 and the interior regions. The gas stations have fuel in their tanks, but the owners fear theft and violence if they reopen.The intensifying frustrations of delivering aid five days after Typhoon Haiyan struck elicited a plea from the top United Nations relief official to the mayor of Tacloban, imploring him to persuade gas station owners to open so relief convoys can begin a large-scale expansion into the razed port city of 220,000 and the interior regions. The gas stations have fuel in their tanks, but the owners fear theft and violence if they reopen.
“We have to have fuel, so we have to have some kind of refueling center,” the relief official, Valerie Amos, told the mayor, Alfred S. Romualdez, at a public meeting after she flew here for an assessment.“We have to have fuel, so we have to have some kind of refueling center,” the relief official, Valerie Amos, told the mayor, Alfred S. Romualdez, at a public meeting after she flew here for an assessment.
Mr. Romualdez told her that the city could not easily cope with the influx of aid workers, as practically no vehicles are available to bring them in from the airport, while food and drinking water are running out. “I’m asking those who come here, ‘Please be self-sufficient, because there’s nothing,’ ” he said. Mr. Romualdez told her that the city could not easily cope with the influx of aid workers, as practically no vehicles are available to bring them in from the airport, while food and drinking water are running out. “I’m asking those who come here, ‘Please be self-sufficient, because there’s nothing,’ “ he said.
The mayor’s best advice to residents was to flee to other cities and find shelter with relatives if they could, saying that the local authorities were struggling to provide enough food and water and faced difficulties in maintaining law and order.The mayor’s best advice to residents was to flee to other cities and find shelter with relatives if they could, saying that the local authorities were struggling to provide enough food and water and faced difficulties in maintaining law and order.
The paralysis was epitomized by the first attempt in Tacloban to conduct a mass burial of Haiyan victims whose corpses had spent days putrefying on streets and under piles of debris. The attempt ended in failure as trucks carrying more than 200 corpses were forced to turn back when gunfire greeted them at the city limits. The identities of the gunmen were not clear.The paralysis was epitomized by the first attempt in Tacloban to conduct a mass burial of Haiyan victims whose corpses had spent days putrefying on streets and under piles of debris. The attempt ended in failure as trucks carrying more than 200 corpses were forced to turn back when gunfire greeted them at the city limits. The identities of the gunmen were not clear.
Covered with black plastic tarpaulin, the bodies were redeposited at a makeshift outdoor morgue at the foot of the hill topped by City Hall, where they emitted a powerful odor. Covered with black plastic tarpaulin, the bodies were redeposited at a makeshift outdoor morgue at the foot of the hill topped by City Hall, where they emitted a powerful odor in the tropical heat.
Tacloban’s paralysis, particularly regarding the fuel, was acknowledged later in the day by the United States government, which is playing a major role in the emergency effort, using military cargo planes to funnel in aid and evacuate the most vulnerable residents. In a telephone briefing conducted from Washington, a senior American official assigned to the effort said the provision of fuel in the city “is very much on our radar screen — that is a whole part of the logistical morass we’re working our way through.” Tacloban’s paralysis, particularly regarding the fuel, was acknowledged later in the day by the United States government, which is playing a major role in the emergency effort, using military cargo planes to funnel in aid and evacuate the most vulnerable residents. In a telephone briefing conducted from Washington, a senior American official assigned to the effort said that it was focused mainly on food, water, shelter and medicine, but that the provision of fuel in the city “is very much on our radar screen — that is a whole part of the logistical morass we’re working our way through.”
Another senior American official participating in the briefing said that the number of American uniformed personnel on the ground in the Philippines, currently at about 300, would more than triple to 1,000 in the next few days, with most coming from a Marine base in Okinawa, and that the United States was providing military transport to Filipino soldiers assigned to the disaster zone that cuts through the middle of the country.Another senior American official participating in the briefing said that the number of American uniformed personnel on the ground in the Philippines, currently at about 300, would more than triple to 1,000 in the next few days, with most coming from a Marine base in Okinawa, and that the United States was providing military transport to Filipino soldiers assigned to the disaster zone that cuts through the middle of the country.
The American officials also said an overland route into Tacloban had been reopened, which will help ease bottlenecking at the airport. “It was like squeezing orange juice through a straw,” one said. “Now we have more straws.” The American officials also said an overland route into Tacloban had been reopened, which would help ease bottlenecking at the airport. “It was like squeezing orange juice through a straw,” one said. “Now we have more straws.”
International relief groups said they were rapidly escalating their response to the storm in Tacloban and elsewhere. Doctors Without Borders, the Paris-based medical provider, said its teams had traveled by car, boat, plane and helicopter to some of the more outlying areas of northern Cebu Island, eastern Samar Island, Panay Island and western Leyte Province, which neither the Philippines government nor other agencies had been able to reach. The teams found desperation, the group said in a statement. The village of Guiuan in Samar was flattened and half of Roxas City on Panay was destroyed. International relief groups said they were rapidly escalating their response in Tacloban and elsewhere. Doctors Without Borders, the Paris-based medical provider, said its teams had traveled by car, boat, plane and helicopter to some of the more outlying areas of northern Cebu Island, eastern Samar Island, Panay Island and western Leyte Province, which neither the Philippines government nor other agencies had been able to reach. The teams found desperation, the group said in a statement. The village of Guiuan in Samar was flattened and half of Roxas City on Panay was destroyed.
“Access is extremely difficult and is preventing people from receiving help,” said Natasha Reyes, the group’s emergency coordinator in the Philippines.“Access is extremely difficult and is preventing people from receiving help,” said Natasha Reyes, the group’s emergency coordinator in the Philippines.
Despite the problems in Tacloban, the World Food Program of the United Nations said Wednesday that it had managed to provide family-sized packets of rice and canned goods to nearly 50,000 residents and that 500 tons of rice was en route.Despite the problems in Tacloban, the World Food Program of the United Nations said Wednesday that it had managed to provide family-sized packets of rice and canned goods to nearly 50,000 residents and that 500 tons of rice was en route.
Mr. Romualdez said the city desperately needed trucks and drivers to distribute relief shipments of food that were piling up at the airport, as well as more trucks, heavy equipment and personnel to exhume more decaying corpses from the wreckage across the city. Mayor Romualdez said the city desperately needed trucks and drivers to distribute relief shipments of food accumulating at the airport, as well as more trucks, heavy equipment and personnel to exhume more decaying corpses from the wreckage across the city.
“I have to decide at every meeting which is more important, relief goods or picking up cadavers,” he said.“I have to decide at every meeting which is more important, relief goods or picking up cadavers,” he said.
Mr. Romualdez denied persistent rumors of gunfights among the increasingly hungry and thirsty population, saying that business owners and others were firing only warning shots. “That’s why sometimes you hear gunshots, but it is to ward off looting,” he said. The mayor, a nephew of Imelda Marcos, the celebrity former first lady who grew up in Tacloban, denied persistent rumors of gunfights among the increasingly hungry and thirsty population, saying that business owners and others were firing only warning shots. “That’s why sometimes you hear gunshots, but it is to ward off looting,” he said.
He did not offer any municipal assistance to those seeking to leave the city, noting that the city had virtually no working vehicles. The local fleet of light buses and group taxis in Tacloban was destroyed by the storm surge. The United States and the Philippines have been offering some seats on planes that take off after dropping off relief supplies. Jerry Sambo Yaokasin, the second-ranking municipal official, said in an interview that Filipino soldiers and police officers may be stretched too thin to provide security in Tacloban even as they try to reach other coastal communities to assess damage. He suggested that foreign forces might be needed for work that included security for gas stations to reopen.
Jerry Sambo Yaokasin, the second-ranking official in the municipal government, said in an interview that Filipino soldiers and police officers may be stretched too thin to provide security in Tacloban even as they try to reach other coastal communities to assess damage. He suggested that foreign forces might be needed, including to provide security for gas stations to reopen.
“If the United States will come in, if it will be allowed to come, or if the United Nations can come in, it will really help us secure the city,” he said.“If the United States will come in, if it will be allowed to come, or if the United Nations can come in, it will really help us secure the city,” he said.
The Philippines was a possession of Spain and then of the United States, and any suggestion that it needs to rely on foreign forces can be an emotional issue here. Mr. Romualdez disagreed with Mr. Yaokasin on the need for security forces from outside the Philippines. “Right now, that won’t be necessary,” he said. A senior official in Washington said it was unlikely that the American military would be used in this way. “It’s really a host government issue — they need to tackle this,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The nation has one of the world’s most heavily armed civilian populations, few effective gun-control regulations and a tradition of violence being used in personal disputes. With service stations closed, gasoline and diesel fuel, at any price, have almost completely disappeared, immobilizing aid vehicles and private cars alike. Scavengers have already siphoned fuel from large numbers of vehicles crushed, overturned or abandoned.
With service stations closed, gasoline and diesel fuel, at any price, have almost completely disappeared, immobilizing aid vehicles and private cars alike. Scavengers have already combed over the large numbers of vehicles crushed, overturned or otherwise damaged during the typhoon, siphoning fuel from them. Typhoon Haiyan did not just destroy the electricity grid here. The storm surge, when the sea level rose by as much as 13 feet in minutes, disabled most of the city’s generators, Mr. Yaokasin said, and the lack of fuel has limited operations for the rest.
Typhoon Haiyan did not just destroy the electricity grid here. The storm surge, when the sea level rose by as much as 13 feet in minutes, inundated and disabled most of the generators in the city, Mr. Yaokasin said, and the lack of fuel has limited operations for the ones that are left. Many grocery store owners died during the storm, disabling the private sector’s capacity to bring in food. Because food has been stripped from the shelves of many grocery stores, surviving store owners are refusing to bring in new inventory and reopen their stores, Mr. Yaokasin said.
Many grocery store owners died during the storm, disabling much of the capacity of the private sector to bring in food. Because grocery stores have been heavily looted and continue to be looted, surviving store owners are refusing to bring in new inventory and reopen their stores, Mr. Yaokasin said.
“The police visibility has to be there to the point that businesses feel the security to open their businesses,” he said.“The police visibility has to be there to the point that businesses feel the security to open their businesses,” he said.
The city has been slower than outlying villages to dig mass graves, Tacloban neighborhoods have strongly resisted them, fearing that they will cause disease. Dr. Emmanuel M. Bueno, a director from the Philippines Department of Health, said bodies would be disposed of safely, by laying them side by side in layers and putting sheets of tarpaulin sprinkled with lime in between each layer. The true death toll remained a mystery. The Philippine government put the official toll at 2,275 as of Wednesday. Few deaths have been confirmed in Tacloban because local officials say they are counting only bodies that they have collected or formally recorded.
Local and national health officials agreed on Tuesday night to dig three mass graves just for Tacloban, Dr. Bueno said in an interview on Wednesday morning. “We are going to bury them in a mass grave so that decomposition will not be on view by the local residents,” he said. “We will give them at least a decent burial, with a blessing by a priest.”
Food is in such short supply that even government officials have little to eat. Dr. Bueno said he was unable to get any food on Tuesday, and had only some coconut milk on Wednesday. Conditions are worse here for outsiders than they were during the Haiti earthquake in 2010, he said, adding that he had participated in the relief effort there.
“Rescuers there of course had food to eat and portable water,” he said.
The tropical heat here was sweltering on Wednesday, increasing the need for water, after briefly cooler weather on Tuesday followed torrential rains early that morning.
The true death toll from the typhoon is a mystery. The Philippine government put the official toll at 2,275. Few deaths have been confirmed in Tacloban because local officials say they are counting only bodies that they have collected or formally recorded.
But Mr. Yaokasin said the leader of a single Tacloban neighborhood of 4,000 people had notified him that 1,000 residents had died.But Mr. Yaokasin said the leader of a single Tacloban neighborhood of 4,000 people had notified him that 1,000 residents had died.
Jennifer Cicco, the Leyte Island administrator for the Philippines Red Cross, said thousands of people were missing and were presumed to have been swept out to sea. Arie Levy, the president of Rescuers Without Borders, a French nonprofit group, said he had visited a village a mile beyond Tacloban on Wednesday morning and estimated that 1,000 bodies were visible there.Jennifer Cicco, the Leyte Island administrator for the Philippines Red Cross, said thousands of people were missing and were presumed to have been swept out to sea. Arie Levy, the president of Rescuers Without Borders, a French nonprofit group, said he had visited a village a mile beyond Tacloban on Wednesday morning and estimated that 1,000 bodies were visible there.
Disease is the next concern. Mr. Levy said his group had run through its entire supply of tetanus vaccine from France in just two days, as crowds of people with lacerations from the typhoon or its aftermath had lined up for injections. Many streets here are so clogged with debris that pedestrians must walk carefully over piles of boards and other construction materials with protruding nails.
Many children have begun showing up at the group’s field hospital with fevers and diarrhea as well, probably from drinking contaminated water, he said. “The situation is just catastrophic,” he said.

Keith Bradsher reported from Tacloban, and Rick Gladstone from New York. Austin Ramzy contributed reporting from Cebu, the Philippines, and Gerry Mullany from Hong Kong.

Keith Bradsher reported from Tacloban, and Rick Gladstone from New York. Austin Ramzy contributed reporting from Cebu, the Philippines, and Gerry Mullany from Hong Kong.