More than 200 heavily armed police secured the road Ban’s long convoy took from Tacloban’s airport. Along the road, the U.N. chief saw wrecked villages, toppled posts and tent encampments housing thousands of homeless survivors.
Wearing a blue cap, rubber shoes and a khaki shirt, Ban waved at crowds, stopping to tell survivors, “Don’t lose hope, don’t lose hope.”
Ban flew to Tacloban after meeting with President Benigno Aquino III and other top officials in Manila to discuss recovery and reconstruction efforts. He said foreign governments needed to chip in to rebuild the typhoon-wrecked regions.
He said the U.N. was trying to raise at least $800 million over the next 12 months and provide life-saving support such as food, water, shelter and sanitation. It will also help craft a long-term development strategy.
About $237 million, or 30 percent, of the fund has already been raised, according to a U.N. statement.
The Philippine government will focus on resettling the displaced and repairing infrastructure, Ban said.
Aquino appealed earlier in the week for international aid, saying the destruction and losses from the typhoon amounted to about $12.9 billion.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the disaster zones were on their way to recovery, but that it would take at least four years to rebuild entire towns.