Phillipines typhoon: Over 10,000 feared dead, 4.4 million homeless

Manila: As many as 10,000 people are believed dead in one Philippine city alone when one of the worst storms on record sent giant sea waves washing away homes, schools and airport buildings, officials said Sunday. Ferocious winds ravaged several central islands, burying people under tons of debris and leaving corpses hanging from trees.The typhoon hit the eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago Friday and barreled through six eastern and central islands before exiting into the South China Sea, packing ferocious winds of 235 kilometers per hour and gusts of 275 kph.On Leyte Island, regional police chief Elmer Soria said he was told by Gov. Dominic Petilla that there were about 10,000 deaths in the province, mostly by drowning and from collapsed buildings. The figure was based on reports from village officials.On Samar, the island facing Tacloban, Leo Dacaynos of the provincial disaster office said Sunday that 300 people were confirmed dead in Basey town and another 2,000 are missing.He said that the storm surge caused sea waters to rise 6 meters (20 feet).There are still other towns on Samar that have not been reached, he said, and appealed for food and water. Power was knocked out and there was no cellphone signal, making communication possible only by radio. The Philippines government's disaster relief agency Sunday said at least 4.4 million people have become homeless in areas hit by super typhoon Haiyan. Around 86,513 families or 403,503 people were housed in 1,425 evacuation centres, Xinhua cited the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as saying. Haiyan, the most powerful typhoon in the country's history, engulfed many areas in Leyte, Samar, Visayas, Bicol and Mindanao regions. "The sea water rose as high as 20 feet, causing hundreds of people to drown," said Leo Dacaynos of the Eastern Samar provincial disaster risk reduction council. As of Sunday, many parts of eastern Visayas are still without electricity. Downed communication facilities caused problems in gathering information from Tacloban city and other affected areas in Leyte province, the official said. Officials are relying on satellite phones and military radios to gather and convey information about the disaster. The number of deaths from the wrath of the super typhoon continue to pile up as authorities exert to retrieve bodies in Tacloban city and other worse-hit areas. Earlier, Leo Dacaynos, chief of the Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Council, said they have already accounted for 300 people dead in Basey town alone, where 2,000 are missing. Rey Balido, operations officer and spokesman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said Tacloban city airport remains closed to commercial flights after the facility sustained damages. "The only aircraft landing there, particularly in Tacloban, are military efforts. We are bringing relief goods (to Leyte) through other means like vessels of the Philippines Navy and Philippines Coast Guard," he said. Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas said authorities are clearing the roads in Tacloban to facilitate retrieval of bodies. Manuel Roxas said homes made of light materials along the coast were destroyed "by the giant surge from the seashore, which came with high winds". Philippines President Benigno S. Aquino III flew to Tacloban city Sunday morning and was set to visit Roxas city in Capiz province later in the day to inspect the places hard hit by the super typhoon and to distribute relief goods to the affected residents. The military has sent 100 soldiers to join police efforts in restoring peace and order in Tacloban as residents looted the Gaisano mall and stole cash from automated teller machines in the city, said Ramon Zagala, who heads the Philippines armed forces public affairs office. Britain Sunday announced the provision of at least $9.58 million to help the relief and rescue operations for the victims in disaster-hit Philippines areas.