Up to 700 feared dead- Bicol Philippines

[Paulily 0]

Published on page A1 of the December 3, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

PADANG, Legazpi City—No one will probably know for sure how many lives were swallowed up in the torrents of volcanic mud and rocks unleashed by Supertyphoon “Reming” (international name: Durian) but the man who should know, Philippine National Red Cross chief Sen. Richard Gordon, said the figure could reach 700.Survivors of the disaster that struck this village of 1,400 people in Albay say they are certain many of their men, women and children still lie underneath the pile of boulders and volcanic sand that wiped out entire neighborhoods here.“They’re still under there...There are houses under there,” said a man, pointing with his lips at what used to be a 2-kilometer stretch of road that debris from Mayon Volcano had obliterated.Reming’s 5-hour fury also caused widespread floods and power outages, knocked out telecommunications, brought transportation in many areas to a standstill, and affected a total of 800,000 people in 12 provinces.

I feel sad for the Bicolano's. Please pray for these people who are now in need of help. I heard in the news that the survivors desperately needed food and water and because of transportation problem the supply can't easily reach them.