61 foreign aircraft, 14 naval ships helping in 'Yolanda' relief efforts --AFP

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 20): 61 foreign aircraft, 14 naval ships helping in 'Yolanda' relief efforts --AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Wednesday that 61 foreign aircraft and 14 naval ships are working hand-in-hand with Filipino rescue agencies in the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts for the victims of supertyphoon "Yolanda."

The AFP said the total is broken down as follows:

-- Australia: two C-17s and three C-130s.

-- United States: eight naval ships (one aircraft carrier, two destroyers, two cruisers, one marine tender, one dry cargo ship, one pathfinder ship, 10 C-130s, two C-12s, two C-2s and five V-22s.

-- Canada: two cargo planes.

-- India: one C-130.

-- Indonesia: three C-130s.

-- Israel: one Boeing 747.

-- Japan: one KC-767, two C-130s.

-- Malaysia: five C-130s, one Boeing 727.

-- Qatar: two C-17s.

-- Russia: one Antonov and three IL-76TA.

-- Singapore: two C-130s.

-- South Korea: three C-130s, three C-130H, three Harmony and two C-130 Harmony.

-- Sweden: one C-130.

-- Taiwan: four C-130s.

-- Thailand: one landing platform dock and two Seahawk helicopters and one landing ship tank.

-- United Kingdom: one destroyer and helicopter.

On the AFP side, 500 vehicles of all types, along with 23 aircraft and 31 naval vessels, are being utilized in the ongoing "Yolanda" relief works.

Meanwhile, Joint Task Force (JFT) commander Lt. Gen. John Wissler, who is also the head of the 3rd Marine Expedition Force, is pleased to note that recovery efforts have taken a great stride in the past two days.

Wissler noted that "Yolanda" has been one of the most devastating typhoons to hit the Philippines in a long time, the magnitude of which would have been difficult for any country to overcome.

"But the resilience of the Philippine people and the coordination of both the Philippine government with the US military, the joint force that’s here and also with all of the international and US national aid organizations is making a great difference every day. It saves lives," the JTF 505 commander said.

He stressed that their short-term goals for the moment are literally to restore relief supplies or to get relief supplies to the Philippine people.

"We want to restore some normalcy in their lives. What that particularly means is food, water and shelter. We've begun an air bridge between Manila and the City of Tacloban which has initiated a significant surge in these relief supplies. From Tacloban, we pushed supplies out to other areas, Ormoc and Guiuan. And from there out in individual endeavors to the people outside those major hubs in a hub- and-support system that has worked very well," Wissler said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=588781