Praying for all of those who are in this tragic disaster : Catastrophic destruction The destruction across the islands was catastrophic and widespread. For a time, storm clouds covered the entire Philippines, stretching 1,120 miles (1800 kilometers) -- the distance between Florida and Canada -- and tropical storm-force winds covered an area the size of Germany. Veteran storm chaser James Reynolds said Haiyan was without a doubt the most catastrophic event Ive witnessed before my eyes. During the height of the storm, the scream of the wind was deafening, said Reynolds, who hunkered down in a solidly built hotel. We could hear just thunderous crashes of debris flying through the air. At some points, you could feel the whole hotel, which was made of solid concrete, shaking. Vietnam braces for hit The massive losses in the Philippines have put much of Vietnam on edge. The Vietnam Red Cross said it had helped authorities evacuate 100,000 people, including elderly residents and orphans, as the typhoon neared. Midday Sunday, Haiyan was plowing through the South China Sea with sustained winds of 160 kph (100 mph) and gusts of 195 kph (120 mph). It was expected to slam into Vietnam by Monday morning. By that time, the typhoon could weaken to a tropical storm. But its still expected to cause heavy rain and flooding in Hanoi, the Red Cross said. Forecasters predicted up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rain for parts of northern Vietnam near the border with China by Monday night. With the latest projected storm path, the designated disaster area could grow from nine provinces to 15, the Vietnam Red Cross said. An enormous blow Haiyan may be the strongest tropical cyclone in recorded history, but meteorologists said it will take further analysis to confirm whether it set a record. The typhoon was 3.5 times more forceful than Hurricane Katrina, which hit the United States 2005. But Haiyans wrath has caused much more than tremendous loss of life and epic destruction -- its also ruined the livelihoods of many survivors. This disaster on such a scale will probably have us working for the next year, said Sandra Bulling, international communications officer for the aid agency CARE. Fishermen have lost their boats. Crops are devastated. This is really the basic income of many people. Andrew Stevens reported from Tacloban; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNNs Paula Hancocks, Kristie Lu Stout, Melissa Le Fevre, Aliza Kassim, Jessica King, Judy Kwon, Tom Watkins, David Simpson, Elwyn Lopez, Michael Martinez and Yousuf Basil also contributed to this report. cnn/2013/11/10/world/asia/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 16:06:35 +0000
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