UK send RAF aid plane to the Philippines with Destroyer Warship, land clearing Equipment and more than £30 Million aid

The C-17 military transport aircraft is carrying JCB diggers, a forklift truck, two Land Rovers and medical aid / JCB equipment is being transported to help clear the way to hard-to-reach areas

RAF aid plane on way to Philippines in relief effort

 

An RAF transport aircraft carrying aid for people affected by the Philippines typhoon has left the UK and is expected to reach the country within 24 hours.

 

The C-17 aircraft, which contains heavy duty vehicles and medical supplies, is part of Britain's emergency response.

 

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said its UK appeal had raised more than £30m in three days.

 

Typhoon Haiyan, which hit last Friday, has killed at least 3,621 people and displaced more than half a million.

 

'Terrible disaster'

The C-17, which took off on Friday morning from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, is being operated by No 99 Squadron.

 

Its load includes two JCB diggers, two Land Rovers and a forklift truck emblazoned with stickers reading "UK aid from the British people".

 

Flight Sergeant Tony Rimmer, loadmaster at Brize Norton, said they had had plenty of volunteers to help load the aircraft.

 

Speaking at Brize Norton, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said the UK was trying to get humanitarian aid through to the people on the ground, and that meant clearing roads to get the logistics operation up and running,

 

"You cannot do that without the right equipment. We've got the right equipment and we're sending it over," she said.

 

"I think we'll be working with the Philippines over the coming months, possibly years. Obviously this has been a terrible disaster," she added.

 

Meanwhile a team of 12 medical experts from the UK, requested by the Philippines Department of Health, has arrived in the country's capital, Manila.

 

'Delivering essentials'

 

The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Daring is expected to arrive in the Philippines on Friday.

 

HMS Daring has more than 200 personnel on board including a doctor, a dentist, engineers and a chaplain. It is also carrying members of the Royal Marines band who, as a secondary role, are trained first aiders.

 

The ship holds 700 ration packs, can provide more than 20,000 litres of water, and has other equipment including generators and thermal-imaging cameras.

 

It is due to be relieved by the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, which is currently in the Gulf, and is set to arrive on 24 November.

 

Announcing the move on Thursday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the typhoon in the Philippines was an "absolute tragedy" and the country needed long-term help for its people.

 

He said the UK government had now given more than £20m in aid.

 

He added that helicopters from HMS Illustrious would be used to take food and water to people stranded in remote parts of the Philippines, which is made up of more than 7,000 islands.

 

The carrier, which currently has 900 crew and seven helicopters, has equipment to provide water suitable for drinking,

 

A huge international aid effort is under way, but widespread infrastructure damage is hampering efforts to distribute it to some areas.

 

The DEC's alliance of 14 UK aid charities said donations from the UK public have shot up from £23m at midday on Thursday to £30m on Friday.

 

The funds will be used to deliver food, water and sanitation equipment, household items and building materials to rebuild essential infrastructure in the ruined areas.

 

DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said: "We are so grateful to the people of the UK for their generosity to date.

 

"But the needs are so great, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced. People desperately need the basics of food, water and shelter. Money raised will go to delivering these essentials and it's important we continue to provide this help."

 

US aircraft carrier and other US vessels have already arrived in the Philippines, where the UN estimates 11 million people have been affected by the typhoon

 

BBC News - UK.

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Australia’s Warship and Planes heading to the Philippines and gives $20 Million more in disaster assistance

Typhoon survivors queue to charge their mobile phones after an emergency generator was switched on in Tacloban on Thursday. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters

 

Australia gives another $20m in disaster assistance to Philippines

 

UNICEF says aid has finally begun to flow but there are relief delays where distribution centers have not yet been set up.

 

Australia has announced a $20m increase in disaster assistance to the Philippines, as further delays hamper aid distribution to increasingly desperate survivors.

 

The government will also deploy further defense force (ADF) support, including an additional RAAF C-130J Hercules to assist the two aircraft already there. A C-17A Globemaster will be on standby. The battleship HMAS Tobruk has also been diverted to the Philippines, with the ADF citing its accommodation, amphibious lift, and aircraft-carrying capabilities.

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The $20m will be divided between various NGOs, with the bulk of it ($9m) to the United Nations' appeal. Up to $2m will also be spent on the deployment of a medical team ($1m) and specialists from the AFP and Dfat.

 

The $20m is in addition to the $10m already promised.

 

"Providing safe drinking water and power is now critical," a statement said. "The ADF is preparing to provide water purification systems and power generators to Tacloban over the coming days."

 

Aid agencies already on the ground have struggled to reach the worst affected areas of Leyte Island, including the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc.

 

Unicef' s regional adviser, Chris de Bono, spoke to Guardian Australia from the Philippines late on Wednesday evening, and said aid had finally begun to flow but was still being delayed by distribution centers that were not yet set up.

 

"There are some problems and things aren't getting there as fast as they should," he said.

 

"I think the Filipino army and government tried really hard to open up the routes in but it took a long time purely because of the difficulties involved."

 

As government and military eventually cleared roads into Tacloban, hordes of people took the chance to get out, blocking access in for aid deliveries and assistance.

 

De Bono said while it was "perfectly understandable" the chaos "turned into a spiral".

 

"The capacity at the moment to get in what's needed just doesn't exist. This capacity is increasing by the hour but so too is the frustration."

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On Tuesday, eight people died when a crowd looking for food rushed a warehouse. Authorities said 10,000 bags of rice were carried away by crowds but the eight people were crushed when a wall collapsed.

 

"I do know that there are tensions in Tacloban," said De Bono. "It's no surprise to anyone that there are very frustrated people. They don't have enough to eat and they don't have enough to feed their children.

 

"People not having access to sanitation, water and food and shelter will cause death. Children are the most vulnerable members of the community and they suffer the most." – The Guardian

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