EU ups Philippines typhoon aid to EUR 13m

(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission announced Tuesday it was upping to 13 million euros ($17 million) reconstruction aid for the Philippines, as the UN appealed for $300 million to help victims of super typhoon Haiyan.

European Union Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs announced an additional 10 million euros in aid as the death toll mounted, with Haiyan having destroyed entire coastal communities, possibly claiming 10,000 lives, according to the United Nations.

Piebalgs said that the new money would go on water and sanitation rehabilitation, power grid repairs, basic health, livelihood support, shelter and repair of infrastructure.

Funding needs to go "beyond humanitarian assistance" and cover immediate "rehabilitation and reconstruction," Piebalgs said in a statement as he wrapped up a visit to Manila.

On top of the money released from Brussels, plane loads of relief supplies and rescue teams are also on their way from EU member states.

Nearly 10 million people, or 10 percent of the Philippines' population, have been affected, while 660,000 have lost their homes, according to the UN.

The typhoon struck one month after the Philippines was hit by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake which destroyed the homes and livelihoods of around 350,000 people.