Tacloban, Leyte: On Nov 11, 2013, on the road to Tacloban from Manila, I received a text from Dr Tacela Gler, the first of our team to arrive in Tacloban: "It is so dismal here. We need lots of tetanus vaccines. All types of medicine. Food, food, and food. Nothing to eat here." I am thankful that I won't be entering Tacloban alone. I join the convoy of a Department of Health team from a nearby province. We arrived in Tacloban on the morning of Nov 12. The Department of Health regional office has taken charge. 5 days after the typhoon, the streets are still clogged with debris and the smell of decay is strong. Bodies litter the streets, a few in body bags, but more by the roadside. There is only one open hospital. The other four remain closed because the doctors and nurses were victims themselves. A coordination desk at the airport has been created to guide foreign and local volunteers. Health-care workers and volunteers are tired and weary. I joined the health cluster meeting and slowly, things are getting better. Today (Nov 13), the streets had fewer dead bodies.
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