The Sikorsky Knighthawk helicopter hovered over the small island of Suluan in the eastern Philippines looking for a place to land on the beach as residents waved and ran toward it. The deafening whir of the rotor blades drowned out all voices and conversations on the shores of Suluan, one of the remote areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.
Only two people on the island of nearly 2,000 people were killed due to Haiyan, but almost all houses and boats were damaged. "When we hear the helicopters, we know that help has arrived," said Maria Fe Basilides, a 37-year-old mother of three, who joined dozens of residents who gathered at the beach littered with splintered wood, broken glass and other debris.
"We have no way out of the island at the moment," she added. "All the boats have been damaged so the helicopters are the only way to get food." Almost two dozen helicopters from the US military have been helping the Philippines in a massive relief operation. Haiyan displaced more than 4 million people and killed more than 4,000 according to the national disaster relief agency.
Backed by an aircraft to provide directions amid the lack of ground control, the choppers have become a crucial means to provide help for many affected areas unreachable by land or sea since Haiyan. "The helicopters are key in the initial stages of response to such a crisis when the surface and ground transport systems have been compromised," said Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, commander of the US 7th Fleet that rushed to the Philippines after Haiyan.
While the road transport system has been restored in many affected areas, airborne delivery was still the only way to send supplies to islands such as Suluan that used to be served by small boats, he said. "These small boats are not functioning now, and until that is restored, there is still a little bit of a need for airborne delivery," he said.
Across Suluan is Homonhon Island, where the US helicopters have also been regularly delivering aid since they arrived seven days ago aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to boost the relief efforts. US air rescue server Toby Pickens played with dozens of children after unloading additional supplies at a grassy area behind a basketball court in one village on Homonhon, an island of 5,000 people.
"This is the most mingling I've had with the residents of the places we've visited," he said, as a boy tried to grab candy from his hand. "Usually we just offload the supplies as fast as we can and get more to bring to other villages." "Seeing the smiles on their faces is extremely rewarding," he added.
Fourteen-year-old John Mark Dacal, who has not heard from his mother and a brother since Haiyan struck on November 8, said the US military helicopters were the first to bring them relief supplies one week after the typhoon. "We were so hungry and thirsty before they came," he said. "We can't thank them enough for all the help." Dacal said his mother and a brother had gone to MacArthur town in the worst-hit province of Leyte to look for work days before Haiyan flattened many cities and towns in the area.
"I don't know what happened to her and my brother," he said. "We can't reach her mobile phone." Dacal said he and two other siblings, who were now staying with their grandfather and step-father, were still hopeful that their mother and brother would return home soon.
"We just have to wait," he said before running away to play basketball with other boys. The chopper that brought supplies to Suluan and Homonhon also ferried the mayor of Guiuan town, who has administrative control over the islands, to check on their needs.
"This is the first time that our mayor was able to visit," Basilides said on the beach at Suluan. "It's very good he got to hitch a ride with the helicopters." Carrying her 3-year-old daughter, Basilides wondered if the helicopters could bring supplies other than food next time. "We hope they can bring us some tarpaulins and nails so we can start rebuilding our houses," she said.
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