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The United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has said aid is not reaching survivors of Typhoon Haiyan quickly enough. Ms Amos is the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. She spoke to reporters in Manila yesterday and explained how urgent it was to act more quickly. She said: "The situation is dismal. Those who have been able to leave have done so. Many more are trying. People are extremely desperate for help." She added: "We need to get assistance to them now. They are already saying it has taken too long to arrive. Ensuring a faster delivery is our immediate priority." Early efforts at providing assistance were hampered by continuing bad weather.
Typhoon Haiyan is possibly the strongest on record to make landfall. Meteorologists say the violent storm packed winds of up to 315kph. It is believed over 10,000 people perished in the city of Tacloban alone. Hundreds of thousands are now homeless after the typhoon flattened almost everything in its path. The New York Times reported there being "typhoon gridlock" as the destroyed infrastructure is making the logistics of distributing aid a nightmare. People are desperate for water. The Doctors Without Borders charity said: "Access is extremely difficult and is preventing people from receiving help." Christian Aid said: "The devastation here is unimaginable."
