Officials now say the number of dead after Typhoon Haiyan tore through the central Philippines is probably closer to 2,500 than the 10,000 previously estimated.<br /><br />But with remote areas still to be reached, the government has no idea of the true number of dead and missing.<br /><br />As the days pass, survivors are becoming increasingly desperate. <br /><br />Seven families in one area have taken refuge in a school, one of a few buildings left standing able to offer a modicum of shelter.<br /><br />One woman begged for help:<br /><br />“We need food, clothes and medicine,” she said. “The children get only one meal a day. The smallest is two months old and he’s got fever. We really need help.” <br /><br />The city of Tacloban found itself at the heart of the storm. As people waited at its destroyed airport, hoping for a plane ride to safety, the heavens opened again with yet more rain. <br /><br />The airport is where the mounting international relief programme is being focused but there is a problem – there are not enough planes small enough to land on its short runway. <br /><br />But as dawn broke on Wednesday morning, an aircraft carrying emergency shelter units did arrive. The UN has also launched its own appeal for over 230 million euros.<br /><br />The next challenge is to get the help to those who need it.
