13 countries send troops to help in Yolanda rehab

From the Manila Standard Today (Nov 18): 13 countries send troops to help in Yolanda rehab

At LEAST 13 countries have sent troops to the Philippines to help Filipinos affected by super typhoon Yolanda rebuild their lives, armed forces officials said on Sunday.

Troops from Japan, United States, Indonesia, Korea and Australia have been involved in relief operations in the Central Visayas region in the past few days, said a senior official, who asked not to be identified for lack of authority to speak on the issue.

“We expect to arrive soon more soldiers from Canada, Israel, Taiwan, Thailand, China, India, Norway and New Zealand,” the official said.

The deployment of soldiers from other countries was a response to logistical nightmare faced by the Philippine government after the super typhoon devastated large areas in the Visayas region on November 8. Days after the typhoon had left, thousands of people in many areas remained isolated.

The United States, a major Philippine ally, mobilized its III Marine Expeditionary Force to lead its humanitarian activities in the country. It set up a command center at Camp Aguinaldo under Marine Corps Commander Lt. Gen. John Wissler.

Officials said the US sent the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and four destroyers to help in the transport of food, bottled water and relief goods to the Visayan provinces.

The Tacloban airport has become operational and capable of landing C-17 transport aircraft delivering bulk supplies and heavy equipment coming from different countries, the official said.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/11/18/13-countries-send-troops-to-help-in-yolanda-rehab-/