Typhoon Yolanda

Message from Ernie P. Baltazar
Dear Chess Friends,

The Philippine Blitz Chess Association gives the sincerest condolences to the families, relatives and friends of our brothers and sisters who have suffered from the recent Typhoon Yolanda . Many people`s lives have been ruined beyond any possible compensation. Many more have been made homeless, left to endure life without shelter or comfort.
We offer our prayers for the safety and health of the survivors.

IT’S REALLY HORRIFIC — ROXASInterior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas yesterday said security troops are yet to make an official counting of the dead and the wounded in the aftermath of Yolanda’s destruction although he confirmed that the death toll is slowly beginning to rise.

“I don’t have the words for it. It’s really horrific. You just have to make your way to where you can find shelter,” Roxas described the situation in Tacloban City.

”We have not begun to count because there is no information,” the DILG chief said noting the lack of phone communications in the region as power poles and transmission towers were toppled by the strong winds and heavy rains spawned by the super typhoon.

However, Police Regional Office 8 director Chief Superintendent Elmer R. Soria said that “Yolanda” is believed to have killed 10,000 people in Leyte alone.

“We had a meeting last night with the governor and based on the government’s estimates, initially there are 10,000 casualties,” Soria said from Tacloban City.

Philippine Red Cross secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang on Saturday said around 1,000 people were killed in Tacloban and 200 in Samar.