“I had not seen such devastating destruction before. I was not in Haiti, but my colleagues said that the Haiti earthquake was not in the same category,” Mart Käit told ETV, adding that the typhoon first swept the land and the following tsunami destroyed what was left.

Käit said that locals were very friendly and there were no security issues.

Estonia sent two rescue workers with equipment to the typhoon-hit areas to set up a base camp for other rescuers. The government also donated 150,000 euros through UNICEF and the Red Cross to the Philippines.

Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms to hit land on record, crossed over parts of the nation in mid-November. The death toll currently stands at 5,700, but over 1,000 are still missing.