KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia in addition to pledging US$1 million to the Phillippines as part of relief funds for victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
Its military has also dispatched two C-130 Hercules to deliver food, medical and other essential supplies to the hardest hit area of Tacloban.
Speaking before sending off the Malaysian delegation on Wednesday morning, Deputy Foreign Minister Hamzah Zainuddin said Malaysia was one of the first few countries that have been given landing rights in Tacloban.
"It's not that easy. First, we have to get approval. So we are lucky. I was told we are the first one which has actually got landing rights, probably because we have very good relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines," he said.
A public health crisis is unfolding in Tacloban, which has a population of about 220,000.
Food and water are in limited supply.
Thousands are injured and many are reported missing as the death toll continues to rise.
Security is also an issue, with chaos reported at Tacloban airport on Tuesday, after hundreds of typhoon victims fought to get on board a C-130 aircraft in a desperate move to evacuate.
Brigadier-General Zulkifli Mohd Yusof, head of Malaysia forward medical team, said: "That's why we have the security forces with us. It's like what happened in Aceh the last time... because people are in distress, but at the end of the day, when they saw the aid coming to assist them, that should be okay."
Some US$500,000 worth of medical supplies and relief items, including emergency safety kits and tarpaulin bags, have been flown in by the Malaysian air force on Wednesday.
The United Nations has sent another 14 tonnes of supplies from Malaysia to reach the worst hit area in Tacloban. It's sending support equipment to set up a logistics base there. The BBC's Jennifer Pak went to the UN depot at Subang airport in Kuala Lumpur.
The priority is to assess the situation on the ground, before sending more cargo in.
The military is sending a forward medical team there to perform on-site treatment and minor surgeries.
They will also be setting up a field hospital in ground zero. Hospitals there are said to have run out of resources and supplies.
They are in desperate need of all kinds of medicine, vaccines, potable water sources, stretchers and wheelchairs.
Time is of the essence as Malaysia's Disaster Relief team is now rushing critical supplies to millions of typhoon victims in the central Philippines.
UPDATE 7AM NOV 14, 2013
Volunteers from Kelab Putera 1Malaysia (KP1M), including doctors and media people, who are on a humanitarian mission to assist the victims of Haiyan Typhoon, arrived here at 6.30pm (local time) today.
The flight using two Charlie C-130 aircraft carrying 30 tonnes of foodstuff and medicines, arrived at Tacloban Airport which was also damaged by the typhoon.
It was dark at the airport due to the power supply disruption since Tacloban city was hit by the devastating typhoon last Friday.
Only some lights were on, from power supply coming from the generators to enable the authorities to manage the humanitarian aid received from various countries including the United States.
It is understood that Tacloban Airport is now being used as a collection centre for humanitarian aid received from all over the world, besides being the place for the typhoon victims from nearby areas to seek shelter and wait for aid or for the chance of being taken out of this city.
Also arriving here with the 30 volunteers from KP1M, led by its president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, were members of the Malaysian Armed Forces health inspectorate to analyse the situation for the purpose of providing further aid.
There were long queues of victims waiting for aid or to be transported out of this city.
Besides experiencing electricity supply disruptions, the victims also have little access to communication.
The relief volunteers have been advised to spend the night at the airport for security reason.
It has been informed that two RMAF C-130H Hercules transport aircraft (one each from No 14 Skn and No 20 Skn) bound for the Philippines city of Tacloban which was badly hit by the super typhoon Haiyan have had to wait in Labuan until further clearance are given.
Two RMAF humanitarian flights were conducted earlier today at 0700H and 0730H respectively via RMAF Hercules transport aircraft. The first aircraft is scheduled to land at Tacloban at around 1415H (local time).
The first flight brought 11 personnel from the Health Ministry (KKM), Foreign Affairs Ministry (Wisma Putra), MAF, National Security Council (MKN), Malaysian Red Crescent Society (PBSM) and SMART team, while the other flight have 30 volunteers from 1Malaysia Putera Club (KP1M) and media representatives on-board. Also part of the second flight was medical supplies, food and other reliefs.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysia was providing aid in the form of medical assistance and transportation.
“Food, tarpaulines and blankets will also be distributed to victims.
“We know that water is an issue, so we are bringing eight units of water purification system, 20 units of mini water purifiers and 200 jerry cans.”
According to the Minister, medical assistance during Relief and Rescue phase will be Forward Medical Team (FMT) assistance using Mobile Outpatient Treatment and Minor Surgery facility.
Field Hospital would be established which provide services either with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippines Health Service or conducted independently. The FMT would consist of 4 military medical officers, 12 paramedic and 7 support personnel such as drivers, technicians, signalmen and field engineers.
Should there is a need to convey humanitarian reliefs in huge numbers, MINDEF will be allocating RMN sealift transport for such purposes.
Hishammuddin said the length of time for the aid team in Philippines would be determined once it had touched ground zero, as it needed to know the logistics and conditions.
He said the team would be in safe hands as long as the military was involved, following reports of fights and locals stealing food and other items.
Hishammuddin who is also the acting Transport Minister has also asked to help the Government in support of humanitarian missions.
MAS has agreed to cooperate to fly reliefs from Malaysia to the Philippines.
The Minister has also instructed DCA to communicate with the Philippines’ Civil Aeronautic Board (CAB) on landing approvals.
Should need be, MAHB has been asked by the Minister to coordinate cargo and flight movements to the Philippines. Nevertheless, all humanitarian flights are currently being conducted out of RMAF’s Subang AFB.
On November 11, a Transmile Air’s Boeing 727 freighter aircraft has been used to transport relief goods from the World Food Program which has established a depot at Subang AFB.
Mercy Malaysia will set up a mobile hospital in Tacloban, Leyte province, in the central Philippines where more than 10,000 people are believed to have died following Typhoon Haiyan.
The mobile hospital would have tents, medicine supplies, beds and operating rooms. The facilities would be transported using military aircraft. Malaysia’s budget carrier, AirAsia had agreed to sponsor 30 seats as well as 5,000kg of cargo for the mission.
At the moment, Mercy Malaysia have already had an advance team there to do an assessment as well as to provide medical care, distribute food, and shelter.
With all assistance seemingly poruing in, just days after super typhoon Haiyan hit, a new storm called Zoraida threatens the devastated country as it struggles in rescue and clean-up efforts.
“We are monitoring the Zoraida storm, as it will have an effect on our mission, but it will not deter us from moving forward,” said Malaysia’s Defence Minister.
PBSM national vice-chairman and national committees for disaster management and ambulance Datuk Dr Bahari Abu Mansor said Red Crescent members would meet their Philippine counterparts.
The society has also plans to send its very own Rapid Deployment Squad and more volunteers to assist the Philippine Red Cross.
KP1M would eventually send in a team of 11 doctors, 15 media workers and 12 volunteers along with 11 tonnes of basic necessities such as food and clothings and 3 tonnes of medical supplies, hospital equipment and other humanitarian reliefs.
These would benefit some 5,000 families in four areas badly hit by the super typhoon including Tacloban, Cebu, Ilo Ilo and Tagbilaran. KP1M volunteers would be flown in to Cebu International Airport via RMAF C-130H and AirAsia’s A 320 flights throughout the week.
The RMAF will initiate its third flight to the Philippines on November 14 followed the fourth and the fifth flights on November 15 till November 16. The third flight will bring the military medical team as well as SMART search and rescue unit along with more reliefs. The subsequent flight will fly in field hospitals and its equipment.
Aviation authorities said two more airports in the region had reopened, allowing for more aid flights.
YAHOO AND FLYING HERALD
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