Death under the number 30

The Philippines after Typhoon - The New Times photo report

The Philippines survived a real shock: the most destructive in the history of observations of the typhoon “Khayan” took the lives of about 10 thousand people and almost erased the coastal city of Ttloban with a population of 220 thousand from the face of the earth. How people opposed the elements and fate - a photo report from the place of tragedy

Everything that remains of the coastal quarter. Guyuyan, Central Philippines, November 11, 2013

“We work for the third day without sleep”, “I am mounting videos and crying”, “Leaders read news with tears in their eyes”-when a record, already 30th Tropical Typhoon (usually in this region, is not more than 25.-The New Times), the pages of many of my colleagues on Facebook and other social networks, and other social networks were falling into the Philippines at a speed of 300 km/h. Literally exploded from grief.

Everything was demolished, but the national flag resisted. Ernani, Samar Province, November 11, 2013

The filming group of our television channel during the revelry of the elements worked in the almost non -existing city of Twearing, the guys sent heartbreaking video frames: a group of people on the roof of the house tries to escape from the rapidly rising stream of water, dark moving silhouettes are desperately clutching life and each other ... then - people on the roof between the downpour and the streams of water from the bottom, between the winds and the waves that were covered with the wolves, which covered the windows. Their hometown. For a while we lost touch with colleagues. And when it was possible to restore it, it turned out: those fussy silhouettes - children from the completely destroyed typhoon of the Street Life Philippines shelter, they, in an attempt to escape, climbed onto its roof. The children stayed there for almost two hours, resisting the waves and the wind.

The typhoon passed here. TAWLOBAN, November 13, 2013

The director of the orphanage Erlen Johanssen told reporters: “These were the longest two hours of their life, demonstrating their incredible spirit, courage, humanity ... They kept almost two hours on the end of life, not letting go of each other and not surrendered.” And after they were saved, they still found the strength to smile on the television cameras of my colleagues.

We, Philippines, strong and unbending people. We are not used to typhoons. But this time everything is different ... I do not know how much time it will take to survive grief from thousands of deaths in order to heal from the consequences of this unprecedented disaster.

Typhoon “closed” two super -tankers, leaving a place to collect “firewood”. In the port of Twaloban, November 11, 2013

Here is a man who survived in the stream of water is choked with tears: "I could not save my child when I got to him, he was already dead."

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“We, Filipinos, strong and unbending people. We are not used to typhoons. But this time everything is different ... "

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Here are the streets of our coastal cities: they give a complete picture of the scale of the tragedy. It seems that these are not a photo chronicle of the Philippines, but scenes from films about the apocalypse: houses and buildings turned into huge piles of garbage, here everything is filled with a stench from the decay of human bodies, we see the frozen horror on the faces of the dead.

The victim built a shack for himself. Palo, Leyite Province, November 12, 2013
Those who survived do not feel that they were lucky. “We survived during the typhoon, but we will die of hunger and illness,” some worship. Others with tears talk about the fact that they have already eaten the last piece of dry fish.

Humanitarian or any other help reaches the destroyed areas insanely slowly - we were left without roads and ports, we do not have enough transport and fuel.

Neither houses, no streets, no roads. Why now a bicycle? Twearing, November 10, 2013
This happens during each new disaster, and each time the Philippines are trying to help all victims. Volunteers work day and night, pacing and unpacking clothes, medicines, blankets, tents and other necessary things that send private individuals and official organizations to the collection points. The UN, Red Cross, Vatican, and other international institutions help us as they can, but this is not enough. Help, still proposed by countries such as Japan, the United States and Great Britain, is only about $ 100 million, while we need at least $ 300 million. According to the UN Extraordinant Valerie Amos, more than 11 million people were injured from Typhun No. 30, 670 thousand are forced to evacuate. The roads are blocked by large volumes of fragments. Many local residents who were evacuated to areas far from the airport are not able to receive any help. In the affected areas there are cases of looting. There were reports about the escape of prisoners from prison. Most of the districts affected by the typhoon still have not yet restored power supply and water supply. Many locals expect emergency goods arrived in their destroyed dwellings covered with tarpaulin ...

Children and ... poultry are evacuated. TAWLOBAN, November 13, 2013

2013 will end soon, six weeks before Christmas are left, and weather forecasters warn: typhoons are again approaching the Philippines. By the end of the year, the element will fall on us again, and more than once. All that remains for us is to gather the spirit again. Natural disasters can replace each other, the country can be destroyed, but we can rise and move on.

Photos: Edgar SU/Reuters, Romeo Ranoco/Reuters, Erik de Castro/Reuters, Aaron Favila/Ap Photo, Dita Alangkara/Ap Photo, Ted AlJibe/AFP Photo