Did you hear about the most catastrophic typhoon to hit southeast Asia? If not, well here’s the latest! Typhoon Haiyan was a ferocious one! She came in on November 2nd 2013, with winds of 230km/h (145-mph)! The highest ever recorded for any typhoon at any particular time! Let me tell you my readers, that was some heavy wind! She meant business! Knocking down sky scrappers, Tearing apart houses, that was just her getting started! I mean she could not be ferocious if she was not causing mass destruction, now could she? She did everything. She thrashed about cars, and trucks, and animals! She was relentless! She burnt down apartments, destroyed offices, schools,courts! She left thousands broke and homeless after she passed by! She downed electrical lines and tress! She was catastrophic! It seemed like nothing would have stopped her! She was a restless one to. She jumped from country to country, much like prostitutes do, causing mayhem and devastation.

On landing in the Philippines, officials didn’t know what to do with her. How can you handle such a ferocious typhoon? Officials urged everyone to stay indoors, buy lots of canned foods and water, batteries, food that lasts, but alas, it was all in vein. For despite all their cautioning Typhoon Haiyan completely wipped out 6,268 persons in that country alone. Tragic I know! Picture the catastrophe and anguish that must have caused. That did not make her feel better, nope! She keep charging on! Getting stronger and stronger the more mayhem she caused. It gets worse, she continues on her merry way to Leyte where she caused calamitous damage! She flattened many of the large towns in a rage, and took 6300 souls along with her,  5,877 of which were taken from Eastern Visayas. Now that’s beast. By this time she was on every radar on the continent. Everyone knew she meant business now! She thus moves onto Surigao City! She now decides to change up her means of destruction in her arsenal. On arriving Surigao City, she announces her arrival accompanied by 15-19 ft waves. What a welcome she had indeed. Her stay will forever be remembered. How could they ever forget her after immediately tearing down the terminal building in the Tacloban Airport. That’s highly unlikely. That wasn’t good enough for typhoon haiyan. Oh no, she continues on to cause wide spread devastation in Talcoban City! Taking the innocent inhabitants by surprise. Terrible way to go! Thats even worst than your girlfriend having sex with another man. Wow. She terrorized the poor Talcoban people. She caused floods, drownings, piled cars high up one on top the other, caused high fractures in buildings, even flattened some, she destroyed low-lying areas, no one was safe when she was around in other words. She ensured that. 

Once done terrorizing the Philippines, she flies on over to China and Taiwan. There she will have lots of fun. She decides to hit them where it hurts! She goes for their pockets, amounting damages in the millions! When I say millions I mean millions. The calculated destruction costs in Hainan amounted to  ¥4.9 billion (US$803 million)! Eye opener isn’t it? Approximately 3,500 people across 20 villages were isolated due to extensive flooding. Destruction costs in Guangxi amounted to ¥275 million (US$45 million)! She hit them hard! Approximately 900 homes and 25,500 hectares of crops were destroyed, while 8,500 homes were damaged! Thats brutal!

 Don’t even ask for Vietnam. They were downsized by the storm. All their assets wiped away, all their liabilities, destroyed, houses, burned,people killed and terror filled the hearts of many. Typhoon haiyan caused provences like Aklan, Capiz, Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte, Palawan, and Samar, to be placed under a state of national calamity! Farless for Vietnam. It was brutal!

Typhoon haiyan caused wide spread destruction. Never before had these provinces ever experienced anything like that. She brought about looting and violence, she caused environmental problems, billions of dollars in damages, poverty, millions to be left homeless, trauma to those who lost a loved one, a humanitarian crisis and a whole heap of trouble. Luckily we live in a society where no matter the colour of your skin no one gets left behind. Meaning, when the United States hears of this crisis, they will immediately send out troops and funds to assist. As soon as they contribute everyone else begins to assist. I have taken the liberty of getting the summary of international relief efforts in the Philippines following the typhoon to prove my point.

Summary of international relief efforts in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan

Country	Cash donation (in US dollars)	Humanitarian aid and supplies	Other aid
Australia	$70 million	Emergency and humanitarian supplies.	Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navydeployed with Australian Medical Assistance Team and supplies.
Bahrain		90 tons of relief supplies.
Bangladesh	$1 million
Belgium	$677 thousand	Humanitarian aid.	Field hospital, water purification system, 5 medical doctors, 13 nurses, and 10 logistic personnel.
Brunei		Humanitarian aid and relief supplies.	Emergency team deployed. Aircraft from the Royal Brunei Air Force deployed with supplies.
Canada	$40 million	Humanitarian aid; water purification units; infrastructure repair teams; medical units	Three hundred members of the Canadian military Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and their equipment are sent, along with three additional Griffon helicopters.GlobalMedic, a Toronto-based NGO has three teams of rescuers and medics dispatched to the disaster zone along with large quantities of water purification supplies and equipment.
Chile		Humanitarian aid.
China	$1.4 million		Deployed the naval hospital ship, Peace Ark.
France	$1.4 million		Sent 70 tons of relief supplies and a team of 61 persons from the Sécurité Civile, to restore electricity and water supplies, and others.
Germany		23 tons of aid.	Rescue teams sent.
Holy See	$150 thousand
Hong Kong			Call to postpone economic sanctions. $5.16 million given to international charities.
Iceland	$100 thousand
India		15 tonnes of relief supplies.
Indonesia	$1 million	Humanitarian aid of goods and logistics worth $1 million. Indonesian Red Crosssent 688,862 tonnes emergency supplies.	Three Indonesian Air Force Hercules aircraft deployed with supplies to affected areas. Logistical aid including aircraft, food, generators and medicine. The Indonesian Red Crossdeployed KM Emir cargo ship loaded with emergency supplies and also 30 Indonesian Red Cross volunteers.
Ireland	$1.36 million	100 tonnes of emergency supplies.
Israel			Sent members of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Defense Forces‘ Home Command.
Italy	$1.36 million
Japan	$52 million	Humanitarian aid.	Deployed the JDS Ise (DDH-182) and JDS Ōsumi (LST-4001) and Boeing KC-767 along with 1,180 members of theJapanese Self-Defense Forces.The Japan Disaster Relief team was also deployed.
Kuwait	$10 million
Malaysia	$1 million	Essential relief supplies and humanitarian aid. Malaysian Filipino community collected supplies to be sent.	Aircraft from the Royal Malaysian Air Force deployed with supplies. The Malaysian disaster relief team was also deployed.
Mexico	$1 million
New Zealand	$1.22 million	30 tonnes of food and medical supplies.
Norway	$41.6 million	100 tonnes of food and 70 tonnes of communication equipment.	In addition to the aid provided by the Norwegian government, Norwegians supported various aid agencies, such as the Norwegian Red Cross and the Norwegian branch of Save the Children, with donations through texting reaching 30 million NOK (US$4.9 million). On October 24, a relief concert with various Norwegian artists was held in Norway for the victims of the typhoon in the Philippines. During the 70 min. TV sendt broadcast, Norwegians donated another 24.7 million NOK (4 million USD).
Panama		200,000 worth of humanitarian aid.
Qatar		80 tonnes of relief supplies.
Russia			Over 200 personnel from the Ministry of Emergency Situations deployed for medical and relief efforts.
Saudi Arabia	$10 million	Relief supplies.	Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz pledged $100,000 in behalf of the Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND).
Singapore	$276 thousand	Humanitarian aid.	Aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force deployed with supplies.
South Africa		Rescue South Africa Disaster Response Team sent.	The 50 man trauma/rescue team treated patients and repaired the Abuyog District Hospital.
South Korea	$25 million	Humanitarian aid including Humanitarian teams and Relief goods(family tents, water purifiers, beef fried rice, blankets, and sanitation kits) turned over to DSWD.	Deployed Emergency relief team (two batches of medical and rescue personnel, 17-man survey team). Pledged USD 5M worth of assistance and USD 20M ODA for construction and rehabilitation from 2014-2016. Deployed 2 C-130 planes, Bi Ro Bong LST and Sung In Bong LST for humanitarian transport along with 520 members of theKorean Army.
Spain	$1.8 million		The Spanish government also chartered two flights that brought 35 tons of humanitarian aid to the disaster area.
Switzerland	$5.4 million	21 tons of Emergency Assistance.	Members of Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit sent.
Taiwan	$200 thousand	680 tons of relief supplies. Estimated total amount of donated relief materials and money reached US$12.3 million as of mid-December. Taiwan, by Navy and Air Force, is the first country delivering relief supplies to Philippines.[196]	A 35-person team organized by the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps arrived in the affected areas to provide free medical assistance.Aircraft from the Republic of China Air Force and Republic of China Navy vessel deployed with supplies.
Thailand		Humanitarian aid.
Turkey		Humanitarian supplies.
United Arab Emirates	$10 million
United Kingdom	$131 million		Deployed HMS Daring and HMS Illustrious and Royal Air Force C-130J – stationed in Cebu delivering over 235,000 of aid – and Royal Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (HADR) efforts.
United States	$86.7 million	The U.S. military conducted Operation Damayan from November 10 – December 1, 2013, in response to the request for assistance from the government of the Philippines. Delivered and/or transported humanitarian supplies, international military forces, international non-governmental organizations. Transported more than 4 million pounds of relief supplies to affected areas, including remote sites. Evacuated over 21,000 people, including citizens of the Philippines, the United States, and many other foreign nationals. Over 1,300 flights were completed in support of the relief efforts for Operation Damayan delivering aid to approximately 450 sites.	Deployed the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade,USS George Washington (CVN-73) and its carrier strike group, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. At its peak, the U.S. military efforts included more than 13,400 military personnel from the US Marine Corps, US Navy and US Air Force. 66 aircraft were involved in the mission including theC17 Globemaster, C-130 Hercules, MV-22 Osprey, and HH-60 helicopter. 12 U.S. Navy vessels also responded. The US also deployed United States Agency for International Development and Office of Foreign Disaster Assistancecrisis response teams to oversee military operations and coordinate the US government response with the government of the Philippines.
Vietnam	$100 thousand

Extensive assistance is being provided by the red cross!

On viewing the table I hope you realize the extensive amount of damage the typhoon has done. Seeing as an extensive amount of money is needed to be donated, in order to restore suitable living conditions. Lots had to be done. Celebrities from all over began pitching in where they could. Celebrities like the American band Journey donated $350,000 to help relief efforts in the Philippines, and its lead singer had a message for his homeland: “Don’t Stop Believin'”. Arnel Pineda (the band’s Filipino vocalist) and the rest of the band announced the donation on November 15, 2013. It will go to the United Nations World Food Programme, which is providing Filipinos with food assistance. The donation should provide 1.4 million meals. Ikea, Walmart, Samsung, and HSBC are among those taking advantage of the event to donate to those in need. Northwestern Mutual announced they will donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross. The Coca-Cola Company says they have donated $2.5 million of their advertising budget to the relief efforts as of November 25. By mid-December FIFA donated $1 million. DHL deployed its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Team to the disaster areas to provide on-the-ground logistics support to assist with the relief effort in the aftermath of the devastating Typhoon Haiyan. Three rotating teams made up of volunteer employees from the Asia Pacific region were based at the Mactan Cebu Airport on Cebu island, providing support and assistance to the country’s most affected areas west of Leyte Island, including Guiuan, Roxas, and Tacloban city. 

Major League Baseball donated $200,000 to UNICEF and the American Red Cross, with Commissioner Bud Selig encouraging fans to donate to the organizations. UNICEF delivered portable toilets and hygiene supplies to the region and also appealed for $34 million to help the four million children affected. The American Red Cross announced that they collected $11 million in donations for the Philippines Relief Fund. Mercy Corps dispatched a “emergency response” team to help with humanitarian efforts.

Among the NGO responses, among the most comprehensive disaster response came from the Taiwan-based “Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation”., which organized a large-scale cash-for-work program in Tacloban from Nov 20 to Dec 8 with up to 31,000 participants per day, totaling nearly 300,000 day shifts. This operation not only helped clean out the thousands of tons of debris covering the city, but also kick-started the local economy. Tzu Chi also contributed emergency cash aid of 8000, 12000 or 15000 pesos depending on family size for over 60,000 families in the affected areas of Tacloban, Ormoc, Palo, Tanauan and Tunga, and has been providing free clinics, hot meals, and temporary class rooms for over 15 schools in the area. Doctors Without Borders is sending 200 tons of aid. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness‘s Food For Life Global, the world’s largest vegan food relief organisation, raised money and provided vegan meals in the Philippines to Typhoon Haiyan survivors. Other NGOs run by faith-based organisations that raised money and/or aided in the disaster relief efforts of Typhoon Haiyan included Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), LDS Philanthropies, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC), Samaritan’s Purse, Salvation Army, and World Vision.

The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), the largest indigenous Christian church based in the Philippines held series of massive relief distributions and medical and dental missions to affected population of the storm to different parts of Visayas. The humanitarian mission was done under the “Lingap sa Mamamayan” (Aid for Humanity) project in cooperation with the Felix Y. Manalo (FYM) Foundation Inc., the INC’s charitable arm. The church conducted the largest walk for a cause in the world (walkathon) on February 15, 2014, dubbed as ‘Iglesia Ni Cristo World Wide Walk for Those Affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan’. The walk for a cause raised millions of money to help the victims of the super typhoon for the construction of their houses and shelters. The aim of the activity is to make the world understand that Haiyan survivors are still in dare need of help and financial assistance. Indeed, the world wide walk caught the attention of the world when it breaks two Guinness world records as the largest charity walk in a single venue (Manila, Philippines) with 175,000 participants, and largest charity walk in 24 hours for multiple venues (from Christchurch, New Zealand to Hawaii, USA) in 13 time zones, 54 countries, 24 hours with 519, 521 participants.

Celebrities such as David and Victoria Beckham, Stephen Colbert, Kim Kardashian, David Guetta, and The X Factor contributed to the fundraisng. On November 26,iTunes released a compilation album entitled Songs for the Philippines featuring different artists, including Katy Perry, Madonna, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles. All proceeds will go to thePhilippine Red Cross. One Republic donated $100,000 on November 30, 2013. Other celebrities that offered their support included Linkin Park, The Offspring, Alicia Keys, and Justin Bieber.

On the day of his death, actor Paul Walker attended a charity event for his organization, Reach Out Worldwide, for the victims of the typhoon that was held right before his accident.

On March 11, 2014, a benefit concert called The Pinoy Relief Benefit Concert was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, City. Jennifer Hudson, Pentatonix, A Great Big World, Plain White T’s, Jessica Sanchez, Charice and REO Brothers performed. Special guests also included Dr. Oz, Dante Basco, Bobby Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Apl.de.ap. 100% of proceeds raised directly went to the Typhoon Haiyan survivors. Pinoy Relief was created to help survivors and focus on three specific areas: restoring livelihoods, building classrooms and providing shelter in partnership with local NGOs, Habitat for Humanity Philippines and Operation Blessing Philippines. So you see, the society we live in today, everyone plays their part.

To sum it all up, my readers, typhoon haiyan was the strongest and deadliest, typhoon ever recorded. She caused a death toll in the thousands, destroyed buildings, cars, electrical lines and caused wide spread poverty. She was the thirtieth named storm of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season. She followed the natural path of development for all storms, but with a twist. She started off as a low pressure system on November 2nd, the next day developed into a tropical depression. On November 4th she became a tropical storm. Her strength increased and brought about rapid intensification, this brought about typhoon intensity by November 5th, and by November 6, the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) assessed the system as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Normally they stop at category 3, or 4, but she grew to a massive category 5 over night! She left nothing standing, and many lifeless, that is why I urge you to appreciate your life, and the life of others, don’t take it for granted. It could just be taken from you in an instance. Take care my readers!

” Keep up to date with current events and natural disasters, for you don’t want to end up the victim of the next typhoon haiyan! ” – Yannick Theodore