TAUNTON’S UK Hydrographic Office is providing satellite images to help with the Typhoon Haiyan clean-up operation.
The office has supplied high resolution images to Royal Navy warship HMS Daring to help it identify the worst hit areas.
The pictures show whether there have been any significant changes to the sea and are assisting the vessel in safely navigating the waters around the islands during its humanitarian relief deployment.
Satellite images have now also been sent to the Philippines Hydrographic Office for use in directing other navy vessels around the hazardous waters.
And the UKHO is supporting the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious with navigational and geographic data products and services when it enters the region on Monday to relieve HMS Daring.
Ian Husband, UKHO geographic manager, who covers the Philippines, said: “We’ve used what little intelligence we have so far, like the path of the typhoon and what we know about the region to direct our initial efforts to the ports of Cebu, Calbayog, Catbaloban, Tacloban, Ormoc City and Calapan.
UKHO staff held a one-day fundraiser in their canteen and raised £633.25 towards the Disasters and Emergency Committee’s Philippines appeal.
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