The countless coconut trees lying on their sides or with their fronds broken off on the seashore was my first sight on Saturday afternoon of devastation as our ferry approached Leyte island, which was heavily damaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan.

Medical workers from the Red Cross Society of China's international rescue team and I were astonished when dozens of refugees stopped our buses for food only 200 meters from the Port of Isabel, on the southern part of the island.

"We are just a medical team," one of our liaison staff told the people. Minutes later, we resumed our trip.

Few residential houses were safe from the super typhoon. Wooden buildings, including concrete houses with wooden roofs, were the major victims. Some residents sat in front of their houses with looks of bewilderment on their faces.

Every several kilometers along the hilly road, we could see a sign made of wood or cardboard saying, "PLS HELP US" or "WE NEED FOOD".

Children along the way kept waving and smiling at us. Most of the elementary schools and kindergartens in the coastal areas were reduced to rubble. "Thank you! Thank you!" the children said to us, after we took a photo during our short break.

Uncertainties remain in the coastal and mountainous areas, more than two weeks after the deadly disaster.

Several miles later, armed policemen joined our trip at a checkpoint, at the request of the local Red Cross. "We are required to protect you. Otherwise, you may be in danger," one of the police officers said.

The degree of devastation seemed to worsen drastically during the highway trip as we traveled north to Tacloban, provincial capital of Leyte and one of the places in the Philippines suffering most from the typhoon.

Halfway through our trip, we came upon a village fair, with people busily buying vegetables and chickens. But while traveling through a suburban area of Tacloban, we saw hundreds of people waiting in a 100-meter line for food and water rations from police.

As the buses got close to Tacloban and the sky grew darker, poles and electricity cables were visibly lying in a mess, and some cables were even lying in water.

After entering the city, we saw stray dogs on the streets, beaches and hotels in a city slowed to an idle pace. Many buildings' windows had been broken.

Almost all the streets along the seaside were cloaked with mud, decayed leaves and garbage. An unpleasant smell hung in the air here. Local people said it was coming from the waste and the bodies buried deep in the rubble.

Ronnie Guintana, a 20-year-old villager living only 5 km from the city, said sanitation problems were the residents' top concern.

"In the past few days, we patrolled along the seaside. We even found five bodies on the beach," Guintana said.

Power failures are another problem plaguing the seaside resorts, and electricity is still a luxury for local people. Young people gathered near the power generators belonging to international rescue teams, in order to charge their cellphones.

Food, drinkable water and housing, in addition to hygiene, are the biggest concerns of residents. Many refugees are now living in evacuation centers with no tents, said Karen Evangelista, a 26-year-old resident.

Evangelista was happy to hear that the Red Cross Society of China donated 2,000 tents and 2,000 quilts to the relief efforts. The goods were delivered by a chartered flight last week.

Contact the writer at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/25/2013 page11)