SYDNEY, Australia – Disaster experts warned Monday, November 11, that mistakes made in the relief effort after the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami must not be repeated with the super typhoon that has smashed the Philippines.
The humanitarian response to the tsunami, which left some 275,000 dead and wreaked havoc across Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand nine years ago, sparked heated debate about the size, form and deployment of assistance.
Some observers, including the British Red Cross, complained that the relief effort was hampered by rivalries between agencies, delivery of inappropriate aid and difficulty in managing the huge sums of money donated.
Others said much of the reconstruction funding that was promised was never actually distributed, while money was squandered due to corruption, mismanagement, and unnecessary duplication of aid efforts.
Survivors of super typhoon Yolanda (international codename Haiyan) – which is feared to have have killed more than 10,000 people – are growing increasingly desperate for aid and countries and organizations are scrambling to mobilize and donate.
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