The Current

The Aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan

Filipinos call her Yolanda, the storm that drove the sea onshore. Known to the rest of us as Typhoon Haiyan, it's claimed many lives in one of the worst storms the Philippines has ever seen. And now a humanitarian crisis looms, thanks to the typhoon locals call Yolanda, and they mean it as a curse....
Filipinos call her Yolanda, the storm that drove the sea onshore. Known to the rest of us as Typhoon Haiyan, it's claimed many lives in one of the worst storms the Philippines has ever seen. And now a humanitarian crisis looms, thanks to the typhoon locals call Yolanda, and they mean it as a curse.



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Devastated houses float on sea water after super typhoon Haiyan hit Tacloban city, central Philippines. The storm is likely
to cause heavy rains, flooding and mudslides as it makes its way north in the South China Sea. (Reuters/Romeo Ranoco)

The Philippines is dealing with death and destruction on an unimaginable scale this morning -- four days after it was hit by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms on record. Officials fear many people are dead in the city of Tacloban alone.

Haiyan tore through six central Philippine islands on Friday. It wrecked nearly everything in its path before moving on to Vietnam yesterday, forcing the evacuation of more than half-a-million residents and losing steam along the way.

Typhoon Haiyan survivors in Philippines desperate for aid -- The Associated Press

Today, emergency personnel and aid workers in the Philippines are trying to get clean water, food and medical help to survivors. But roads are blocked with debris. Reports describe bodies floating in the streets. There's no power and reports of random looting. Recovery is a monumental task.

As the flood waters slowly subside, relief workers are rushing into the devastation in the Philippines today, attempting to bring much needed supplies and assistance to the tens of thousands who have been displaced by Typhoon Haiyan.But its not easy.

"It's really very difficult because one after another calamity in the Philippines, we just happened in Bhohal. And these are, most of the victims are the innocent children and the old. It's really heartbreaking. They're OK but their house has been destructed and it's, it's really hard to express being far from them, it's really really hard". A Filipino-Canadian woman in Toronto, speaking to CBC TV about the wreckage her relatives are dealing with back home.

With more than half a million Filipino-Canadians living across Canada, the disaster in the Philippines is acutely felt by many here at home.

Filipino-Canadian communities from Vancouver to Winnipeg and Saskatoon spent the weekend organizing relief efforts ... and trying desperately to get word about loved ones in the affected areas.


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This segment was produced by The Current's Idella Sturino and Peter Mitton.