Canada to Keep Relief Team in Philippines for 2 Months

Canada has decided to keep its Disaster Assistance Response Team in Philippines for a couple of months. The Philippines has witnessed what is called the worst typhoon in the history of the country. The Canadian general who is responsible for overseas troops declared on Tuesday that DART would stay in Philippines between '30 and 60 days.'

Lt Gen Stu Beare had a visit with Canadian troops situated in Afghanistan. He told Postmedia News that the situation in Philippines was not 'touch-and-go.' DART is required to stay in the country for a significant amount of time to give the people immediate assistance, he said. The rebuilding job in the longer run is, however, to be done by the NGOs and the UN, he added. Canada is also going to consider using small C-130 Hercules transport aircraft for the relief efforts. Everything, on the other hand, will depend on the needs of the Philippine government.

The islands which are affected the most by the super-typhoon on Saturday do not have long runways to accommodate larger aircrafts. That is why a smaller aircraft like Hercules should be more beneficial. On the flip side, it will take a couple of days to reach Philippines, while a large aircraft like C-17 takes only one day. The C-17 is also capable of carrying about 170,000 pounds, while Hercules can only carry around 40,000 pounds.

Lt Gen Beare informed that Canada had already sent a small assessment team to Philippines to have a discussion with the authorities on the most important requirements at the moment. Canada can only help the country when it knows exactly where the relief specialists should be sent, he said.

Typhoon Haiyan devastated Philippines, and Canada was quick to extend help. Canada has already provided potable water and medical assistance as Philippines continues to struggle. More than a thousand people have already been confirmed dead. The number of people who have died due to the super typhoon is projected to be about 10,000.