Ban Ki-moon visits storm-ravaged Tacloban City

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, center, waves upon arrival at Tacloban airport in Tacloban City Saturday. AP

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is visiting Tacloban City devastated by a super typhoon that killed more than 6,100 people last month.

Ban flew to Tacloban on central Leyte island on Saturday after meeting President Benigno Aquino III and other officials in Manila to discuss recovery efforts.

Typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) slammed ashore November 8 as one of the strongest typhoons on record with fierce winds and tsunami-like storm surges that flattened entire towns. More than 1,700 people are still listed as missing and more than four million others have lost their homes.

The United Nations early this week launched an appeal for $791 million for critical food assistance, clean water and shelter for typhoon victims.