Typhoon Haiyan hits central Philippines, unknown number of lost lives ( Archived) (41)

The news is very very sad, most of my friends in Cebu seem ok, ex pats in brick built homes, but the devastation of one shanty area on the sea front is just terrible, hundreds if not thousands homeless.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise? Mt Filipina friend told me this afternoon, the area on Bohol that is now completely gone, will have to be rebuilt, the government wanted to do this 3 years ago, but never had the money. Now they will be forced to find some, maybe the ruling catholic church will help for once instead of just taking money.

Fears of mass casualties are rising across the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, but it could be some time before the true extent of the storm's damage is known.

Local officials in the hardest-hit Leyte Island said there could be 10,000 dead in the city of Tacloban alone. Leyte regional police chief Elmer Soria said the provincial governor had told him there were about 10,000 deaths there, primarily from drowning and collapsed buildings. Most of the deaths were in Tacloban, a city of about 200,000 that is the biggest on Leyte Island.

Corpses hung from tree branches and were scattered along sidewalks and among flattened buildings, while looters raided grocery stores and gas stations in search of food, fuel and water.

Terrible news

And now another storm is on its way, as if these poor people didn't have enough problems already.


When you read about this terrible disaster, it makes you start to see life in fuller perspective, and one realises that our everyday problems are really quite meaningless in the real world.

If there really is a God, now would be a good time to show some compassion!!!!!!!!

Today, some on Talk Radio are calling it, the worst storm in recorded history. Winds remained at 200 miles per hour, in land. (322km)