Death toll continues to rise from Typhoon Bopha

Authorities say the death toll has climbed above 700 from the destructive typhoon that hit southern Philippines last week.  Typhoon Bopha is the strongest and deadliest storm to hit the Philippines this year and nearly 900 more people are still unaccounted for in the aftermath..  Both the number of deaths and missing people have risen during the past few days and are still likely to increase further this week said Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Control.  If not many people are found a live, Bopha could prove to be more deadly than Tropical Storm Washi, which killed 1,268 people only a year ago.  Hundreds to thousands of people have to live in evacuation centers, must rely on the government for some form of assistance, and are begging for food and water everyday. 

Farming communities were the worst hit and it may take years for them to recover, which is not good for the community, which rely on it for their livelihood.  The United Nations announced a global appeal to raise $65 million to help people affected by the storm and emergency funds are being released due to President Benigno Aquino III declaring a state of national calamity.  Local authorities are being criticized for not anticipating the scale of the destruction, thus why so many people lost their lives.  Also it was said the illegal logging and mining may have contributed to landslides and flash floods around the area.  Ramon Paje, Environmental Secretary of Aquino's government said the devastation on Mindanao is now proving that timber harvesting must stop especially in natural forests.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/11/world/asia/philippines-typhoon/index.html?hpt=wo_c2