Tuphoon Haiyan Update

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Nicole Halseth
News Editor

he confirmed death toll in the

Philippines continues to rise
following the devastation wrought
by Typhoon Haiyan.

According to an article on the BBC
news website, the UN and local
agencies in the Philippines have
confirmed a death toll of around
3, 361 people. This number is
expected to continue to rise.

This comes after Typhoon Haiyan,
known as Typhoon Yolanda in the
Philippines, hit the region around

7 November 2013. Typhoon Haiyan
may be the largest tropical storm
to have made landfall in recorded
history. It is the fourth most intense
tropical cyclone that has ever

been observed. It was formed on 3
November, and finally dissipated on
11 November.

Typhoon Haiyan, at its peak, was
assessed as a Category 5 super
typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson
hurricane wind scale. Its winds
may have even measured up to

315 km/h. It first made landfall

at Guiuan, Eastern Samar, in the
Philippines, on 7 November. It later
traveled along the Philippines to
make final landfall on 10 November,
in northern Vietnam, as a severe
tropical storm.

Typhoon Haiyan caused widespread
destruction in the Philippines,
especially in the central region, on
Samar Island, and Leyte. The city

of Tacloban, located in this region,
may have suffered particularly
heavy losses. According to UN
officials, between 9 and 11 million

people have been impacted by

this typhoon. Up to 12, 487 have
been injured, 1, 187 are currently
missing, and 1,871,321 have been
displaced.

One of the controversies
surrounding this disaster is the
slow pace at which disaster aid and
relief reached affected populations.
Though numerous countries have
pledged money and labour to

help with the relief efforts, food
and supplies only began to reach
affected areas one week after the
storm hit.

Efforts to bring aid to these regions
are hampered by a shortage of
trucks, according to the Philippine
government. Additionally, local
emergency services are also facing
challenges brought on by the
typhoon. In the city of Tacloban,
not even a quarter of the local
police force reported for work in
the week after the storm, according
to the article on the BBC website.

While aid service providers struggle
to reach communities that were

hit by the storm, citizens in these
places are faced with the reality

of the devastating impacts of one
of the worst tropical storms in
recorded history. Bodies which
were lying out in the streets have
begun to be cleared and buried, and
thousands of survivors are trying
to leave Tacloban through its local
airport. It is likely that this country
will be dealing with the effects of
this storm for many years to come.

If you are interested in ways

you can help, you can check out
information online through sites
like World Vision and UNICEF.

News

Batkid to the Rescue!

Nicole Halseth
News Editor

ccording to an article on the

BBC news website, “Thousands
of people in San Francisco have
turned out to help a boy suffering
from leukaemia fulfil his wish
to be Batman for a day.” Miles
Scott, a San Francisco boy of five,
participated in organized events
throughout the city in which he
fought mock crimes. Scott even
received an honour from the city’s
mayor. This event was organized
by the Make-a-Wish Foundation,
which received pledges to help with
the event from over 10, 000 people.

Miles Scott is now in remission,
following leukaemia treatment
which had been ongoing for several
years. The event began with Scott,
dressed as Batman and going by
the moniker ‘Batkid? received a
broadcast calling for his help from
San Francisco Police Chief Greg
Suhr.

Following this, Batkid saved a
woman in mock distress, as she
was tied to cable car tracks along a
major street. He was cheered along
by hundreds of people who showed
up to watch the event and provide
support. Batkid was driven to each
event in his very own ‘Batmobiles;
which were two black Lamborghinis
decorated with removable Batman
stickers. He was escorted by the
police, and was aided throughout
the day by a man who was also
dressed in a complete Batman
costume.

Batkid continued his fight against
crime by catching a pretend robber

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in his tracks in the city’s financial
district. He then traveled to AT&T
Park to rescue the San Francisco
Giants baseball team mascot, which
he did by valiantly disarming a fake
bomb.

The crux of the day, however, was
when the “villain,” the dastardly
Riddler, was taken into custody
by the authorities who had
participated in the days’ events.
According to the Make-a-Wish
Foundation, this event was “on
the scale of a military operation.”
The Foundation was so dedicated
in organizing this event that their
website was closed on Friday, 15
November, as they fulfilled the
wish.

Additionally, the mayor of San
Francisco, Ed Lee, reportedly gave
the courageous hero a key to the
city before the day’s end. Natalie,
Batkid’s mother, said that the day
was like a “celebration” of her son’s
completion of years of treatment.
On the Make-a-Wish Foundation
website, she wrote that "this wish
has meant closure for our family
and an end to over three years of
putting toxic drugs in our son's

body."

This event is a wonderful example
of community engagement. And
really, who does not want to be
Batman for a day? It seems Gotham
(San Francisco) will be safe tonight.

For more information on the event,
and more pictures from throughout
the day, check out the Make-a-Wish
Foundation’s website: http://ssl.
wish.org/