CEBU CITY– Palo Archbishop John Du has likened Typhoon Yolanda to the ‘Angel of Death.”
In a press conference at the Archbishop’s Residence in Cebu last Thursday to appeal for help for the Palo Archdiocese, Du said they observed something very unusual when the Typhoon hit Palo.
“It looked like a white smoke that went inside every room, destroyed the doors, blew the roofs off, and killed everyone,” he said.
Like most Leytenos, Du initially thought Yolanda would simply pass through Leyte, until he saw the Typhoon’s destructive force, which blew away the roof of the Palo cathedral and damaged its convent and the Archbishop’s residence.
“The typhoon was really very strong. It was so unusual. When it hit Palo, it was like the angel of death.
Du said 500 people sought shelter at the cathedral and its convent at the height of supertyphoon Yolanda but had to evacuate to makeshift shanties and tents made of plastic sheeting and dilapidated roofs.
After the storm, Du sought the military’s help to maintain peace and order and supervise the distribution of relief goods in Palo.
“People will mob any vehicle they see bringing relief goods. People are becoming unruly. Some are bringing bolos and axes. They are hungry and all they are thinking is how to survive. That’s our situation there now,” Du said, as he asked that donations be coursed through Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Ormoc City which is still under the Palo Archdiocese.
Archbishop Du said that he has started to give out canned goods intended for the Church’s feeding program to the Yolanda victims, in the absence of relief goods from aid agencies.
“Right now, we need food for survival. The reconstruction will come later,” he said.
Report by Alex Rey Pal, PNEJ member
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