U.N. chief visits storm-hit Philippine areas

TACLOBAN, Philippines — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday visited central Philippine villages that were decimated by Typhoon Haiyan and promised to try to raise at least $800 million to help the region recover from last month’s devastating storm.

Children who survived the Nov. 8 typhoon welcomed Ban by singing “Jingle Bells” at a school in Tacloban city, which was hardest hit by the storm. Accompanied by U.N. and Philippine officials, Ban clapped his hands and swayed playfully, telling the children: “Please hold on. Don’t despair. We have come to help you.”

Although he stayed for only about two hours, Ban was the most prominent world leader to visit the vast wasteland of debris and wrecked villages left by Haiyan, one of the strongest storms on record to hit land. The typhoon killed at least 6,100 people, with more than 1,700 others listed as missing. It damaged or swept away more than 1 million homes and injured 27,000 people.

“I’m standing here with a very heavy and sad heart,” Ban said as he stood beside huge mounds of muddy debris and toppled posts in Tacloban’s Fatima village. He said the destruction he saw was “beyond description.”

More than 200 heavily armed police secured the road Ban’s long convoy took from Tacloban’s airport. Along the road, the U.N. chief saw wrecked villages, toppled posts and tent encampments housing thousands of homeless survivors.

Ban waved at crowds, stopping to tell survivors, “Don’t lose hope, don’t lose hope.”

Ban flew to Tacloban after meeting with President Benigno Aquino III and other top officials in Manila to discuss recovery and reconstruction efforts. He said foreign governments needed to chip in to rebuild the typhoon-wrecked regions.

He said the U.N. was trying to raise at least $800 million over the next 12 months and provide lifesaving support such as food, water, shelter and sanitation. It will also help craft a long-term development strategy.

About $237 million, or 30 percent, of the fund has already been raised, according to a U.N. statement.

The Philippine government will focus on resettling those who were displaced and repairing infrastructure, Ban said.

Aquino appealed last week for international aid, saying the destruction and losses from the typhoon amounted to about $12.9 billion.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the disaster zones were on their way to recovery, but that it would take at least four years to rebuild entire towns.