Food, water, fuel running low as survivors stream into Borongan, Eastern Samar

Although they were not hit by Typhoon Yolanda as hard as other cities were last Friday, Borongan City in Eastern Samar is running out of food, water, and even gasoline.

 

The super typhoon, which hit central Visayas last Friday, left many homeless and without aid. Because of this, survivors have been traveling from town to town, with many ending up in Borongan, "24 Oras" reported on Wednesday.

 

"Nagpunta kami ng Llorente, walang bigas rin. MacArthur, walang mabili. Dito, pila pa, pano pagdating natin dito gabi na, nakakatakot pa. 'Yung iba nga, inaagawan ng pagkain, hinaharang sa daan," said a woman lined up in front of a grocery store.

 

"Mahirap dito sa amin. Kahit may pambili kami ng bigas, wala kaming mabilhan, dahil yung mga ibang tindahan, mga sarado na," said a resident of Borongan.

 

Panic buying and the sheer number of people looking for goods have already forced shops to close. People in hard-hit areas like Tacloban have even died in search of food, with eight dying after breaking into National Food Authority warehouse.

 

Borongan's water-refilling stations, relying on generators to operate their equipment, have also closed because gasoline stations have run dry.

 

Tricycles and other forms of public transportation have also stopped ferrying passengers because of empty tanks.

 

"Ngayon, sa lahat nang nandito papunta sa amin, talagang mag-kukulang ng goods sa Borongan... Nananawagan po ako ngayon sa mga taga-Eastern Samar, not only in Borongan... na makakatulong sa mga municipality o barangay na nangangailangan ng tulong na magtulungan naman po tayo," pleaded Mayor Fe Abunda of Borongan.

 

Aid has yet to reach areas hit hardest by the storm, despite foreign aid already amounting to P3.8 billion and local government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development releasing an additional P53 million for Yolanda relief operations. — Rie Takumi/JDS, GMA News