Friday the 8^th of November seemed to be an average day in the lives of the millions of Americans that populate the U.S, however this bliss was not to be shared by the thousands of Filipinos. The Philippine Islands were in the midst of one of the most powerful typhoons known to date.

“Typhoons” are tropical storms in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.

Four days after Typhoon “Haiyan” hit the central Philippines, the death toll is rising into the thousands and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced from their homes. As many as 10,000 people are believed dead in Tacloban, the capital.

Six people were killed and dozens wounded during heavy winds and storms in central Vietnam as Haiyan approached the coast, state media reported, even though it had weakened substantially since hitting the Philippines.

“Super typhoon Haiyan destroyed about seventy to eighty percent of all structures in its path as it tore through Leyte (a province) on Friday,” said police chief superintendent Elmer Soria.

The waves produced from Haiyan, were some of the strongest to ever be recorded and the results were devastating; entire villages were swept away. Officials have begun comparing the traumatic wreckage similar to the damage from 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

About ninety U.S. Marines and sailors headed to the Philippines in a first wave of promised military assistance for relief efforts, U.S. officials said. President Barack Obama said the United States is ready to provide additional aid.

United States aid groups have also launched multiple relief campaigns such as “One World”, and “UNICEF”. Both groups have been essential in providing necessities to the Philippines such as blankets, water, and other emergency supplies. However, reaching the worst affected areas with supplies has proven difficult, due to the lack of accessible roads.

Although the Philippines are struggling to put back the pieces of their broken country, there has been a worldwide effort to provide aid. Because the damage is so recent and so immense, officials are unsure of when destruction will be cleared.