Anderson Cooper tells David Letterman: ‘PH gov’t was not set up to provide relief..’

The CNN host made an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” to chat about his experience during his Tacloban typhoon coverage.



When Letterman asked him about the lessons learned from Yolanda, Cooper raised the importance of preparing relief supplies early on.

Anderson Cooper told Dave Letterman that the Philippine government was not set up to provide relief after super typhoon Yolanda hit the Visayas region.

It is easy for reporters to come in and be critical because relief is never going to be fast enough. That said, if you know that the biggest storm ever to hit is going to hit, the Philippine government talked about prepositioning supplies. Well clearly, whatever supplies prepositioned were not enough. Nobody food and nobody had water, he said.

The Philippines is a poor country, and the government is not set-up to give relief in this kind of way. But it was upsetting to the people there who were searching for their children not to have sustenance. There were people coming up to us asking for water, he related.

Watch the video:




Comments on the video are now pouring in, we catched some of it:

It is now clear how unprepared the Philippines government was. they could have those tools and equipments reserved for a bigger disaster. so if for instance LGU is gone the national government can immediately take over. it's like having several contingency plans. - Rio Grabato

Anderson also criticised the officials behind the Katrina relief. I don't think you get the point he was trying to make that THOSE JAPANESE TROOPS ONLY HAD STICKS YET DID THEIR BEST TO RESCUE/RELIEF WITH ONLY WHAT THEY HAD AT THAT TIME. - Rachel Plays

Mr Cooper Japan did not get the 220 mph wind that hit the Philippines. Stop comparing please. You are starting to piss me off. -cmontall

His message is about how government are organized… so deal with it!!!! Because Philippines are only organized in the field of corruptions! -Jules Lee

I have high regards with Anderson. He did his best. What I find unfair is to compare the reaction of the Philippine government to the typhoon victims with Japan (the tsunami). Why don't you compare what happened in Tacloban with that of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans? I reviewed the CNN and CBS reports way back in August 2005 and it was as if they were describing Tacloban. That's the best comparison not with Japan. - Sindulfo Sumagang

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