In the Philippines, relief effort struggles to meet the need
In the Philippines, thousands are dead and hundreds of thousands are homeless in the disastrous aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. Relief agencies around the world are trying to deliver water, food and other supplies, but the geography of the Philippines and the scope of the devastation are making a difficult task seem nearly impossible.
Even so, the government of the Philippines has come under harsh criticism for failing to deliver aid quickly enough. Aljazeera quoted the country's interior secretary, Mar Roxas, as saying, "In a situation like this, nothing is fast enough ... The need is massive, the need is immediate, and you can't reach everyone."
The Daily Circuit speaks with some disaster relief experts. How do they prepare when a disaster is imminent? What have we learned from past disasters, and what can we do better?
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• Asia Rivalries Play Role in Aid to the Philippines
The typhoon, described as the most devastating natural calamity to hit the Philippines in recent history, is emerging as a showcase for the soft-power contest in Asia. The geopolitical tensions have been stoked by China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, and heightened by American efforts to reassert its influence in the region.
China has showered aid on countries it considers close friends, becoming the largest lender in Africa, rushing to help Pakistan after an earthquake in September and showing a more humanitarian side to its neighbors in Asia. But the typhoon struck hardest at the country China considers its biggest nemesis in the legal, diplomatic and sometimes military standoff over control of tiny but strategic islands in the South China Sea. (The New York Times)
• Stop Catastrophizing Relief Efforts in the Philippines
In the Philippines, reports make it seem like it is deja vu all over again. We hear that aid is not being shipped or distributed fast enough, that organizations are having trouble coordinating, and that looting is rampant and turning deadly.
If these memes seem familiar, it because they each appeared after Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake response in Haiti. It makes us ask: Why have domestic disaster responders and international humanitarians not fixed the system yet? What's broken? Who's to blame for the delays in aid delivery? (By John Crowley at Time.com)
• Typhoon Haiyan: US carrier boosts Philippines relief effort
US Marine Brigadier General Paul Kennedy told BBC Radio 5 live that the US aid effort was being stepped up to a level that has "probably never been applied" to a humanitarian crisis.
The presence of the USS George Washington is expected to triple the number of available helicopters, which can also deliver hundreds of thousands of gallons of water every day.
Food, water and medical help are beginning to reach residents of Tacloban as soldiers clear roads blocked by debris. (BBC)
