MANILA, Nov. 7 (PNA) — The efficient response made by American military forces, shortly after the onslaught of super typhoon “Yolanda” in Eastern Visayas last year, was made possible by the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement Friday.
“The fast-acting bilateral teamwork between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US military was possible because of the VFA. Other countries wanted to immediately respond to the Philippines’ call for help, but had to wait as their governments worked out legal agreements for their troops (foreign soldiers) to work in the Philippines,” it added.
At its peak, the US military efforts included more than 13,400 military personnel, 66 aircraft (including 10 C-130s to augment the Armed Forces Philippines’ three C-130 aircraft along with eight MV-22 Ospreys) and 12 naval vessels.
The United States delivered more than 2,495 tons of relief supplies and evacuated over 21,000 people.
More than 1,300 flights were completed in support of the relief efforts for Operation Damayan to approximately 450 sites.
The initial focus of US relief efforts included aerial damage assessments of the islands, search and rescue missions, and the delivery of food, water and basic supplies to people displaced from their homes.
By the seventh day of relief operations, the U.S. military delivered about 665,000 pounds of relief supplies provided by the US Agency for International Development.
US military aircraft logged nearly 650 flight hours, moved nearly 1,200 relief workers into Tacloban and airlifted almost 5,000 survivors away from typhoon-impacted areas.
Eight days after the storm’s landfall, a joint DOD-USAID-United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund team helped to rebuild Tacloban’s municipal water system and restored water service, reaching an estimated 250,000 people.
Since last November, the United States government, through USAID, US Department of State and the US Department of Defense, has provided assistance worth more than Php 6,425,217,370 or USD 143 million to help those affected by “Yolanda” to rebuild their lives.
The United States is one of the largest bilateral donors to support post typhoon recovery efforts.
Whether this was temporary assistance with food, water and shelter, or long-term assistance with building new weather-resistant school and health buildings, training emergency responders, or integrating disaster preparedness into local school curriculum, the United States remains dedicated to the Philippines. (PNA)