Rebuilding efforts move ahead after Typhoon Haiyan

TACLOBAN, Philippines -- The number of human lives lost to Typhoon Haiyan in the central Philippines is becoming clearer.

The Philippines' main disaster agency says the death toll now stands at 3,633 with another 1,179 people listed as missing. Nearly 12,500 people were injured. Most of the casualties occurred on Leyte (LAY'-tay) and Samar islands.

One week after Typhoon Haiyan razed the eastern part of the Philippines, leaving 600,000 homeless, survivors have begun rebuilding, with or without help from their government or foreign aid groups. People swept dirt from the pews of a church in the disaster zone Friday, while the buzzing of chain saws reverberated in the streets and piles of debris were burned.

Meanwhile, the international aid effort is gathering steam, highlighted by the helicopter drops conducted from the American aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

The U.N.'s top humanitarian official says more than 107,000 people have received food assistance so far and 11 foreign and 22 domestic medical teams are in operation.

Philippine insurgents declare typhoon cease-fire

The dwindling band of communist rebels in the Philippines has declared a temporary cease-fire in areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

The government welcomed the cease-fire, but urged the insurgents to make it permanent and nationwide.

In a statement on a Communist Party website seen Saturday but dated Thursday, the New People's Army said it would halt offensive actions and concentrate on typhoon relief work until Nov. 25.

The military claims that the insurgency is all but defeated on the worst-hit islands of Leyte and Samar, and attacks have rarely been reported there in recent years.

The insurgency peaked in the 1980s. In recent years, the rebels have been limited to sporadic hit-and-run attacks and extortion.

Foreign aid groups have not expressed security-related concerns about operating on the two islands.

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