(UPDATE) UN boosts efforts to relieve Phl from super typhoon

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) - The UN relief chief said Saturday that the world body was assisting the Philippines in its efforts to assess the situation in the wake of a super typhoon, which reportedly had left more than 150 people killed and over 4.6 million affected.

"The United Nations agencies in the Philippines, with their humanitarian partners, are supporting the government and other responders in their efforts to assess the situation and respond rapidly with vital supplies, through the coordination system led by the local authorities," Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said in a statement.

Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, is one of the strongest storms ever recorded, making landfall with sustained winds of 295 km per hour, placing it above the 252 kph threshold for a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

On Saturday morning, the UN Disaster Coordination Team (UNDAC) arrived in the city of Tacloban, one of the most affected areas, and reported scenes of total devastation, with all roads from the airport to the town blocked.

"The last time I saw something of this scale was in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami," said the head of UNDAC, Sebastian Rhodes Stampa.

"This is destruction on a massive scale. There are cars thrown like tumbled weed and the streets are strewn with debris," he said.

The UNDAC team said it was preparing the groundwork for an inter-agency humanitarian assessment, but expressed concern that relief operations would be "extremely difficult" due to the impassable roads.

At the same time, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP) have also mobilized their in-country teams to reach those affected.

The Philippines Red Cross said it had received reports of 1,200 deaths in two areas hit by the typhoon, a drastic increase from the three reported on Friday.

"Sadly, it is likely that this figure will rise," Amos said. "The government estimates that some 4.3 million people are affected, across 36 provinces, and initial assessments show that thousands of homes have been destroyed, roads are impassable and people need food, water, shelter and power."

According to UNICEF, up to 1.7 million children could be affected by Haiyan.

The agency had mobilized its staff to deliver pre-positioned emergency supplies, and was flying in some 60 tons of additional supplies from Copenhagen, Denmark, including medical and shelter equipment, which was expected to arrive in the next three days.

"UNICEF's first priorities are focused on life-saving interventions - getting essential medicines, nutrition supplies, safe water and hygiene supplies to children and families," said its representative in the Philippines, Tomoo Hozumi.

Meanwhile, the WFP had mobilized two million US dollars for the response, and would appeal for more funds as needs of the Asian country became clearer.

As a preliminary measure, 40 tons of high-energy biscuits would be flown in from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, in the coming days.

WFP was also looking at other food commodities to stabilize the nutrition situation.

"The devastation we saw in Tacloban today was shocking," said WFP Representative and Country Director Praveen Agrawal. "People have lost their homes and livelihoods, and the damage to infrastructure is substantial."

In a statement issued here on Saturday by his spokesman, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply saddened by the extensive loss of life and the serious damage to the infrastructure of the country.

"The secretary-general offers his sincere condolences to the people and government of the Philippines, particularly to those who have lost family members, their homes or have been otherwise affected by this disaster," the statement said.

Haiyan is the third major crisis hitting the Philippines in just two months. In October, the Bohol earthquake affected more than 3 million people, triggering landslides engulfing houses, ripping apart bridges and tearing down centuries-old churches.

In September, tens of thousands of people were displaced by armed clashes in Zamboanga City in the southern part of the country.