The airport in the City of Tacloban in the central Philippines has been swarming with people as Typhoon Haiyan survivors seek a way out of the devastated country.
The airport may be destroyed but two Philippine Air Force C-130s early on Tuesday along with several commercial and private flights as hundreds of people boarded to escape the country. Still more than 3,000 people were left camping out and the airport, waiting for a ride, the Associated Press reports.
Among one of the people who fled to the airport was 21-year-old Emily Ortega. The pregnant woman had to swim out of an evacuation center as it flooded and she clung to a post until she could reach safety at the airport. She gave birth to a baby girl at the airport with the help of military medics. The baby, Bea Joy Sagales appeared in good health.
Typhoon Haiyan survivors are trying to flee the city as the storm left them without food and water and the streets are full of bodies, many of them children. It is believed that as many as 10,000 are dead and millions more are without shelter, food or resources/ It has only been four days since Typhoon Haiyan hit, and not enough help has arrived yet.
There are about 220,000 people in Tacloban alone, which is one of the hardest hit areas. Record high winds and severe flooding left the city destroyed.
Help started to arrive on Monday as crews tried to retrieve bodies and help provide food, water and medicine to survivors. Police are on high alert as they try to prevent people from looting.
It is believed that 10,000 are dead but due to the slow recovery, the official death toll is still unclear. The Philippine military confirmed that 942 were dead. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda is hoping the death toll doesn't come close to 10,000.
The devastation is endless. "I don't believe there is a single structure that is not destroyed or severely damaged in some way - every single building, every single house," U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy told AP after taking a helicopter flight over the city.
About 9.7 million people in 41 provinces have been impacted by the Typhoon which is known as Yolanda in the country. About 800,000 people were evacuated before the typhoon but even the evacuation centers weren't a match for the storm's wind and water. Many were not prepared for the storm. The storm hit the Philippines on Friday with 147 mph winds and gusts up to 170 mph.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
