PHILIPPINES: Tacloban residents crowd badly damaged airport trying to get a flight out of typhoon-hit region.

Record ID: 564758

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: Tacloban residents crowd badly damaged airport trying to get a flight out of typhoon-hit region.
  • Date: 16th November 2013
  • Summary: TACLOBAN, PHILIPPINES (NOVEMBER 16, 2013) (REUTERS) PLANE LANDING AT TACOBAN AIRPORT AIRCRAFT TAXIING WITH CROWDS WAITING NEARBY CROWDS OF PEOPLE WAITING AT THE AIRPORT VARIOUS OF POLICE AT A GATE INTO THE AIRPORT PEOPLE WAITING IN FRONT OF INDIAN AIR FORCE C130 AIRCRAFT THAT CARRIED IN AID VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR A FLIGHT JAMES HUGO, 16 YEARS OLD, WATING WITH FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (English) TACLOBAN RESIDENT, JAMES HUGO, SAYING: "It's really difficult here because the reliefs are still not, we're still not receiving it, it's really difficult to receive reliefs. And our safety here and security in our house is really quite not good yet because there's still a lot of looters and robbers in our house roaming around during the night, especially night." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR A FLIGHT (SOUNDBITE) (English) TACLOBAN RESIDENT, MYRA ROSITAS, SAYING: "There's no guarantee we can get out from Tacloban because there are a lot of people lining up since yesterday and we just came in now. So, they will prioritise those who lined up yesterday." PEOPLE WAITING (SOUNDBITE) (English) TACLOBAN RESIDENT, SAMUEL SILAO, SAYING: "It's like hell, three nights without sleep. It makes me feel sick, very sick and disoriented." (Question: Can you face another night if you don't get on the plane today?) "I might blow up my mind." SOLDIERS WALKING AT AIRPORT, PALETTES OF GOODS ON THE GROUND SIGN READING (English) "Humanitarian aid to government of Philippines from the people of India" HELICOPTERS ON THE GROUND AT AIRPORT, AIRCRAFT TAXIING
  • Embargoed: 1st December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Disasters,People,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA30Q16N01BNBQSQTN3BANGSYRU
  • Story Text: Thousands of people are still trying to leave one of the areas worst affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, queuing for days to board a plane out of Tacloban.
    Amongst those queuing on Saturday (November 16) was 16 year old James Hugo, who said his family's house survived the storm but they no longer felt safe in the city of more than 200,000.
    "It's really difficult here because the reliefs are still not, we're still not receiving it, it's really difficult to receive reliefs. And our safety here and security in our house is really quite not good yet because there's still a lot of looters and robbers in our house roaming around during the night, especially night."
    Military and civilian aircraft are ferrying people out of the disaster zone from dawn until dusk and military aid flights continue through the night, a Philippines Air Force officer said.
    Still, there are more people who want to leave.
    "There's no guarantee we can get out from Tacloban because there are a lot of people lining up since yesterday and we just came in now. So, they will prioritise those who lined up yesterday," said Myra Rosittas, waiting in the queue.
    A visibly emotional man said Saturday was his fourth day waiting.
    "It's like hell, three nights without sleep. It makes me feel sick, very sick and disoriented," Samuel Silao said. And he did not know how he would cope if he had to wait another night.
    "I might blow up my mind," he said.
    The aid effort was still patchy, and bodies still lay uncollected as rescuers tried to evacuate stricken communities on Saturday. It was more than a week after Typhoon Haiyan killed at least 3,633 with tree-snapping winds and tsunami-like waves.
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