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A day after Super Typhoon Haiyan roared through the Philippines, officials predicted that the death toll could reach 1,200 -- or more.
"We estimate 1,000 people were killed in Tacloban and 200 in Samar province," Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, said of two coastal areas where Haiyan hit first as it began its march Friday across the archipelago.
No one is saying that number won't rise
A provincial police chief reportedly said that local government estimates point to as many as 10,000 feared dead alone in Leyte province, which includes Tacloban. According to AFP, Chief Supt. Elmer Soria said that this figure came out of a Saturday night meeting with the governor of Leyte.
National police and the military sent reinforcements Sunday to prevent looting in the hard-hit city of Tacloban. News video showed people breaking into grocery stores and cash machines in the city, where there had been little evidence of authority since midday Friday.
The store break-ins were attributable to a severe lack of food. Relief efforts were hampered by heavy damage to the airport and trees and debris blocking roadways.
In signs of progress, the road to the airport was cleared Sunday and helicopters were making regular flights.
Death count expected to rise
The government had counted 151 dead, 23 injured and five missing as of Sunday morning. More than 477,000 people were driven out of their homes.
Experts predicted that it will take days to get the full scope of the damage wrought by a typhoon described as one of the strongest to make landfall in recorded history.
Interactive map of the storm
"Probably the casualty figure will increase as we get more information from remote areas, which have been cut off from communications," said Tomoo Hozumi, UNICEF's Philippines representative.
The casualties from the storm, which affected 4.3 million people in 36 provinces, occurred despite preparations that included the evacuation of more than 800,000 people, he said.
The National Risk Reduction and Management Council said more than 70,000 families were affected, and nearly 350,000 people were displaced -- inside and outside evacuation centers. Thousands of houses were destroyed, it said.
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