According to the UN, more than 11 million people are believed to have been affected by one of the most powerful storms on record which raged across the central Philippines on November 8, leaving a trail of almost total devastation in its wake. The area is inhabited mostly by Christians who are extremely poor.
As EN went to press, the death toll stood at more than 2,200 and 673,000 displaced. Survivors are in desperate need of water, food and emergency shelter.
People sought refuge in schools, churches and government buildings, but many of these were unable to withstand the winds, which reached 170 mph (275 km/h), and waves of up to 15 m (45 ft.). Around 70- 80% of the houses and structures along the typhoon’s path were destroyed.
