NDRRMC confirms 1,774 fatalities, most are from Eastern Visayas

The official death toll from super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) breached the 1,000 mark Monday evening, with most of the fatalities recorded in Eastern Visayas.

 

Figures from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed the number of dead stood at 1,774, radio dzBB's Paulo Santos reported.

 

Of these, 1,660 were from Region 8 the report said.

Region 8, which includes Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Southern Leyte, Ormoc City, Baybay City, Maasin City, Calbayog City, Catbalogan City, Borongan City, and Tacloban City, bore the brunt of Yolanda's strong winds and storm surges.

According to an Agence France-Press report,  US soldiers on Leyte Island to help with relief operations were "shocked" by the devastation.

"Roads are impassable, trees are all down, posts are down, power is down... I am not sure what else is there. I am not sure how else to describe this destruction," Brigadier General Paul Kennedy, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Expedition Brigade, said in the report.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who was in Leyte last week, described the damage was overwhelming.

Early Monday evening, President Benigno Aquino III declared a state of national calamity to help speed up relief and recovery in provinces affected by the typhoon.

Bishops call for prayers, donations
 

As this developed, Philippine bishops on Monday started a novena of prayer and charity for victims of Yolanda. The novena runs until November 19, the Vatican news portal said.

 

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said funds collected during the novena will be coursed to the victims via Caritas Philippines.

 

CBCP spokesman Monsignor Pedro Quitorio III was quoted in the report as saying they are having trouble getting details about the extent of the destruction caused by Yolanda as power and communications in the region are down.

 

“In Borongan, we have no concrete reports because all communication lines are down and all power lines are down, and we could not get through to get the exact situation,” he said.

 

In Palo, Leyte, Quitorio said much church infrastructure was destroyed, including the cathedral of Palo and the shrine of Santo Niño.

 

Quitorio also said their first concern is stopping the looting in Tacloban City.

 

"We hope this can be contained as soon as possible, so that all relief operations will go as needed,” he said. — JDS, GMA News