MANILA - An official of the British Embassy in Manila on Wednesday said super typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) was a disaster that no one could have prepared for and praised the Philippine government for getting things moving.
Steven Lysaght, British Embassy Political Section 1st Secretary, explained the process of humanitarian aid by United Nations member-nations.
He said the Philippine government sent a request for aid to the UN called a "flash appeal," anticipating the catastrophic effect of Yolanda.
The UN responded by asking G-20 nations for aid, including USAID, AUSAID, Japan and UK.
Lysaght said the UK sent a forward team even before Yolanda hit the Philippines. The team assessed the situation and recommended immediate next steps how aid can be delivered.
The UK has pre-stocked survival kits and relevant supplies in warehouses worldwide to move faster its relief strategically and as quickly to requesting countries.
The first chartered plane (B777) arrived in Manila via Dubai last night and the goods will be flown to Cebu tomorrow.
The standard package of humanitarian aid consists of high energy food, clean water, temporary shelter, some cooking utensils that can serve about 800,000 people.
The next package to follow will be a bigger aircraft - usually a military aircraft like a C70 - to carry heavy equipment for the next stage of the emergency response operations.
Asked how he would assess the Philippine government's response to the situation so far, he said: "The Philippine government has been doing tremendous work and effort to get things moving. What we have here is an unimaginable catastrophe - a 'crisis' no one could have prepared for."
He added: "We must remember that the country has been going through a 'series' of events from natural disasters, man-made violence. It is only fair not to expect a perfect response."
Lysaght also noted: "The magnitude of this event calls for a collaborative effort from all agencies involved so we deal with everyone."
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
