Thursday, December 02, 2004

STAY IN OR GET OUT OF THE SERVICE. PERSONNEL RESEARCH PHSYCOLOGIST, DOCTOR RORIE HARRIS.DR. RORIE HARRIS"THIS SURVEY IS POINTED TOWARDS SAILORS WHO'VE BEEN OUT IN THE FLEET FOR ATLEAST A YEAR AND NOT MORE THAN FOUR YEARS AND THOSE SAILORS SHOULD BE AN ACTIVE COMPONENT OF THE NAVY."THE 15 MINUTE SURVEY ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT CAREER PROGRESS AND OTHER TRAINING EXPERIENCES. PETTY OFFICER DANA CLARK, AT THE NAVAL MEDIA CENTER, WASHINGTON.
TO TAKE THE SURVEY, LOG ONTO HTTP://FLEETSURVEY.NPRST.NAVY.MIL TO TAKE THE SURVEY.
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON DEPLOYED SAILORS, MARINES AND COAST GUARDSMEN CAN TALK TO THEIR FAMILIES FOR FREE. A-T-AND-T TEAMED UP WITH THE NAVY EXCHANGE SERVICE COMMAND TO PROVIDE 21-THOUSAND PREPAID PHONE CARDS. THIRTY NAVY AND COAST GUARD SHIPS WILL RECEIVE THE CARDS SOMETIME THIS MONTH.
AND THAT'S YOUR PACIFIC RADIO REPORT. I'M SPECIALIST COURTNEY THOMAS.

Rescuers hasten search for survivors ahead of 'Yoyong'

RIZAL -- A powerful typhoon was Wednesday bearing down on the eastern Philippines where rescuers were desperately trying to find survivors from floods and landslides that have left nearly 500 dead or missing.
Typhoon "Yoyong" (international codename: Nanmadol) was expected to hit the east coast Friday where rescuers are battling atrocious conditions in the hunt for over 150 people missing since entire villages were washed away by Tropical Storm "Winnie" two days ago.
The new typhoon is currently packing winds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour over the Pacific Ocean, the government weather center said, raising the storm alert to level one for the stricken eastern Philippines.
The worst hit coastal towns of Real, Infanta and General Nakar remained cut off by floodwaters and smashed bridges. Heavy rain and strong winds grounded rescue aircraft, and rescuers battled raging torrents by boat.
A deadly mix of logs and earth dislodged by heavy rain buried several parts of the three towns after Monday's storm, rescuers and survivors told Agence France-Presse.
Military officials warned the death toll could rise higher as the flood waters were still rising and many people remained trapped. Several thousand people are stranded on rooftops in Real, Infanta and Nakar, officials said.
An Agence France-Presse photographer who flew over the area aboard a military helicopter said only the roofs of houses and the tops of trees could be seen above the floodwaters, with logs and planks scattered everywhere.
Parts of three motor vehicles could be seen protruding above the water.
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said her department had recorded 306 deaths in the three stricken towns -- 114 in Real, another 100 in Infanta and 92 in General Nakar. They are all in Quezon province, about 75 kilometers (47 miles) east of Manila.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who just returned home from a regional summit in Laos, was scheduled to fly to the storm-hit areas later Wednesday but the government weather station warned that it was not safe for helicopters to fly.
Navy spokesman Gerry Malabanan said Marines and Navy SEAL commandoes were battling large waves and heavy rain in small boats to reach survivors in Real.
"We have brought food and suppplies to Real and our concern is just to really help," he said.
Real remained unreachable by land as it was blocked by 17 landslides and four fallen bridges. Huge floating logs washed down from the mountains caused massive destruction in the town.
Communication with the affected towns was difficult because several mobile phone cell sites were damaged by the storm and the electricity supply has also been knocked out, Malabanan said.
"What we know at present is that the situation is grim," he said.
On the road to the three towns, soldiers used shovels and picks to try to clear the landslides but the rain and poor visibility hampered their efforts.
Some stunned residents managed to trek out of the area on foot, clambering over fallen bridges and landslide debris to catch buses to less-affected areas.
Infanta residents have blamed the flooding on illegal loggers who they said were responsible for all the tree trunks washed down by the flood.
Armand Balilo, spokesman for the Philippine coastguard, said the town hall of Infanta, normally a center for disaster relief, was destroyed by the storm, forcing them to use a local airport for evacuees.
Even as they raced to help the victims of the recent storm, relief officials also warned the public to prepare for the new typhoon.

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