Remote Philippine Villages Nearly Out of Food

Isolated locales struggling in wake of Typhoon Bopha
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 11, 2012 8:35 AM CST
Remote Philippine Villages Nearly Out of Food
Residents affected by typhoon Bopha crowd as relief goods are distributed at New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in southern Philippines Sunday Dec. 9, 2012.   (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A week after the devastating Philippines typhoon that killed 714, many survivors are facing a new threat: a shortage of food. Entire communities could be impacted, one relief worker warns. "Their food is fast dwindling, their roads are blocked by fallen trees and boulders, and it will not be long before everyone in these upland villages will go hungry," he says. Water has also been polluted or blocked in many areas. Emergency supplies will probably have to be dropped in from the air, Reuters reports

In addition to the dead, 900 are missing and 2,000 were injured by Typhoon Bopha. Crops were damaged to the tune of $250 million, and almost 400,000 people lost farms and homes. International relief agencies have asked for $100 million in food and shelter aid, and the Philippines has appealed to the US and Britain for help from their ships, planes, and helicopters. (More Philippines stories.)

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