At 6:30am, Wednesday, 12 November 2013. It is a typical beautiful warm sunny day in the Philippines. The light is spectacular and the skies are a brilliant blue with wisps of clouds across its expanse. There is a cool, refreshing breeze. It seems like another perfect day, but it isn’t. Less that 60km north of where I sit at my desk at home is devastation. On Friday, 8 November, with winds of over 335kph, Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Typhoon Yolanda left a wide swath of destruction across the Central Philippines including Northern Cebu. In too many areas, towns and cities were ravaged and 80% of all homes were destroyed. People are desperate. They’ve lost their homes, their families, their friends and their livelihoods. Where were you on Friday, 8 December 2013?
7:10am, 8 November 2013. Metro Cebu is quiet. I was up early. I tried to stay in bed to get as much rest as possible before the storm but couldn’t. I was restless. In three hours or so, “Yolanda” was supposed to be at its closest to the City. At home everything was battened down and protected to the best of our abilities. We hopefully had enough water, batteries and food to weather any storm. A couple of days before at the supermarkets, it was funny to see shopping carts laden with water, canned goods, batteries and then funnily, piled with chips, cookies and junk food. People were obviously hunkering down for the long haul. But junk food? I had to ask myself if these guys knew something I didn’t.
By 10:00am, the wind began to blow and the familiar feeling of unease began to set in. Cebu had just been through a terrible earthquake that left Bohol seriously damaged and everyone collectively anxious after thousands of aftershocks. A few short weeks later we sat waiting for another monster to hit Cebu: “Yolanda”, the strongest typhoon in human history. I tried to convince myself that there was no point worrying. According to the latest weather reports, Metro Cebu was going to be spared and we were protected, and our larders were stocked.
Little did we in the City know that, as we sat nervous but dry, vast areas of our country where the monster typhoon had passed and was passing, the relentless wind literally screamed like a horde of banshees, forming the rain into unending, painful horizontal sheets of needle-like spikes. It was effortlessly destroying homes and buildings, toppling trees, and sending debris flying and careening dangerously. Little did we know that a storm surge five to seven meters high was wreaking havoc and misery across wide areas of the Central Philippines killing thousands of people and destroying even more homes and peoples lives. On the morning of 8 November we were naturally worried about ourselves, but completely clueless to the epic human tragedy that was quickly unfolding.
Today, it is still unimaginable and near impossible to understand what it was like to live through the worst day of fear in the lives of millions, and millions of Filipinos. Till today, it is still very difficult to imagine and comprehend the tragedy that followed in the desperate hours and days immediately after super-typhoon “Yolanda”. And unless it has happened to you, it is still impossible to appreciate what it is to be a homeless refugee sleeping on the streets, sitting in the sun, bereft of family, food and water, surrounded by the ruins of your home.
My heart breaks every time I see the news. The tales of suffering are endless.
5:12pm, Saturday, 16 November 2013. I received a text from my friend, economist and professor, Perry Fajardo. It read, “I am very disturbed these days by these people that have done nothing but criticize the relief operation. It hurts the thousands who are sacrificing everything to help.”
Perry’s sentiment is correct. There is a fine line between expressing frustration, as many of us did, and unending criticism for political opportunism. While there is a yawning chasm between sincerity and the ‘pretension of assistance for political gain,’ the time for action is now. “Eastern Samar is gone” read a recent headline of The Philippine Star, underlining the urgent need to coalesce, to link our arms in support of millions of Filipinos instead of indulging in shallow political games.
11:06pm, 16 November 2013. From a Facebook friend Ronna Mae O’Connell: “Hi Dondi, I was informed that Bantayan Island needs relief badly. Please ask info from Alex Badayos and Felipe Tariman.”
I am sure everyone is getting calls, messages and texts like these constantly. The need is great. My first reaction was to jump and start hollering for help but after a moment of reflection, I decided to try to find out who was organizing to help Bantayan – to see if they were already in action. They were. Bantayan Island was wrecked and is one of dozens in dire need of assistance. All across Visayas, South Luzon and Northern Palawan are islands, islets, villages and settlements that need urgent assistance. Even the one-time leper colony of Culion is in dire need of relief and medical care. We all need to keep this kind of information flowing so we can help make sure no one gets left behind.
While I have never in my life seen this sheer scale of suffering in the Philippines, I have also never seen this sheer scale of profound outpouring of generosity, and the willingness and determination to help in whatever way possible. I shouldn’t be surprised. It is the heart of the Filipino and in the hearts of the friends of Filipinos.
Today, on social media and on the local and foreign news, there are expressions and stories of personal initiatives of concern and care even as inspiring tales of individual and civic heroism are emerging. All over Cebu, all over the Philippines, pockets of friends, employees, foreign residents, neighbors, classmates, government and social workers, businessmen, and even tourists are working hand in hand to help in whichever way they can. Foreign-based Filipinos are organizing, and ordinary people in many countries are donating what they can to help, even those with little or no particular affinity for the Philippines. In most cases, these generous souls weren’t asked to help. They just asked how they could help – and they did and they are helping – just as so many Filipinos are helping, even at the sacrifice of their finances, family, school and work time, and even their businesses.
Make no mistake. It may take only weeks or months to rebuild homes, but it will take years to replace lost livelihoods and to heal hearts torn apart by loss. Our relief work will not end in a few weeks, or even in a few months. We will have to stay focused and continue helping our brothers and sisters rebuild their lives, even as the sense of urgency wanes, and even when the next hot news story hits the headlines. We must never forget Yolanda – not only for the sake of those who suffered, but for the sake of those who survived and still live in the peril of more catastrophes – as we all do.
Nor can we neglect the Boholanos who are still rebuilding their lives after the terrible earthquake. They still need you.
Yolanda has left her profound footprint on the Philippines. In all likelihood she will not be the last super-storm to bludgeon its way through our country. I shudder to think of what will happen if another angry typhoon follows on heels of Yolanda. In today’s world of mutated weather, as certain as an angry woman’s slap, another Yolanda, Ruping, Dading, Ondoy or Pepang will come. We can no longer be ill-prepared and we only have to look at how many other countries prepare for and respond to disasters: the USA, Fukushima in Japan, and even in India in 2012, where 800,000 people were forcibly evacuated following a major typhoon warning. The storm hit and only a handful of lives were lost. Seventeen years earlier a similar typhoon hit the same area of India and 10,000 people died. They learned. They prepared. They lived.
Time is short, and the waters may rise again.
Professor Perry, I have been guilty of being critical, constructively I hope, because like many others I can’t help but think, in the clarity of hindsight, that more could have been done before the typhoon, when the red light warnings were flashing, and immediately after when it became crystal clear that Yolanda wreaked immeasurable havoc. We can and should do the post-mortems later – after this growing human catastrophe is averted. And hopefully, just hopefully, this painful lesson will help our country leapfrog from spastic adolescence to deeper political and social maturity as we put aside petty political differences in the interest of the common good of all Filipinos – once and for all. This was a humanly expensive and painful lesson that must never, ever happen again.
If anyone would like to assist, there are three ways to help: the first is to volunteer time. There are many companies, organizations, and private initiatives that collect, organize and distribute relief goods. If you live abroad, come to Cebu in the Philippines and help in these relief operations. Or send your kids. We will look after them. It will be a great human experience and we can point people in the right direction and put them in contact with the right organizations, formal or informal. The second is to donate funds. The expenses are enormous. The third is to hope and keep the Philippines and those who were affected close to your hearts, in your thoughts and if you pray, in your prayers.
The Filipino is a wonderful resilient person and I have no doubt that even now as I sit at my desk, in the face of immense hardship and suffering, the Filipinos affected by this disaster will once again begin to smile and hope – and sing – as they always do. Bangon Pilipinas!
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An aerial shot of Tacloban after Typhoon Haiyan. Photo taken by Chris Darza, originally published in Zee Lifestyle‘s December-January 2014 issue
Everyone made it through the front door and out of the house, standing on the windowsill and holding on for dear life as the water levels continued to rise. His girlfriend lost hold of their three-year-old daughter, and he lunged after them despite not knowing how to swim, pushing them near a concrete railing where they could get a foothold. Meanwhile, his mom was swept away; she held on to one of the drainage pipes a bit further behind. Eventually, the water started going down and brought them down to ground level. “Reality started to creep in, and it wasn’t looking good,” Kent narrates. “We had nothing but the clothes on our back. Everything in the house was gone. One of our dogs went missing. But we were alive.”
As the entire world knows by now, other people weren’t as lucky. “Typhoons are a normal occurrence, and they almost always first make landfall in the Samar and Leyte area,” Kent explains. “I treated Haiyan like everyone else treated it: like a normal typhoon passing by. We never accounted for wind speed. No one knew exactly what a storm surge meant.”
Malapascua Island after Typhoon Haiyan. Photo by Chris Darza, originally published in Zee Lifestyle‘s December-January 2014 issue
One year later, yet another storm made its way to the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). Typhoon Hagupit (local name: Ruby) was touted to be as devastating as Haiyan, and more worryingly so, it was also on the same path as the aforementioned super storm. Although it intensified into a Category 5 super typhoon in early December, it weakened into a Category 3 typhoon before making landfall in Eastern Samar. It progressed slowly throughout the country, with landfalls in Masbate, Marinduque and Batangas before finally exiting the PAR on December 10.
The impact wasn’t as bad as Haiyan last year. While property damages stood no chance against Mother Nature, with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reporting a total of three billion pesos’ worth of damages in infrastructure and agriculture as of December 12, the casualties have been kept to an extreme minimum. According to NDRRMC, 19 people died—a far cry from the more than 6,000 people post-Haiyan. While the lower figures could be attributed to Hagupit weakening, a significant factor lies in the fact that people were more prepared: Classes were suspended, people fled to evacuation centers, and the Philippine government prepared rescue boats for food packs, medicines, and doctors. This time around, everyone learned their lessons.
Typhoon Hagupit wrecks havoc at the Legazpi City Fishport. Photo taken from AFP/The Japan Times
“Yolanda has left her profound footprint on the Philippines. In all likelihood she will not be the last super-storm to bludgeon its way through our country. I shudder to think of what will happen if another angry typhoon follows on heels of Yolanda. In today’s world of mutated weather, as certain as an angry woman’s slap, another Yolanda, Ruping, Dading, Ondoy or Pepang will come. We can no longer be ill-prepared and we only have to look at how many other countries prepare for and respond to disasters: the USA, Fukushima in Japan, and even in India in 2012, where 800,000 people were forcibly evacuated following a major typhoon warning. The storm hit and only a handful of lives were lost. Seventeen years earlier, a similar typhoon hit the same area of India and 10,000 people died. They learned. They prepared. They lived. Time is short, and the waters may rise again.”
Joseph, Dondi. “Moving Forward.” Zee Lifestyle. Dec.-Jan. 2014: 80-88
According to Margareta Wahlström, Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNIDSR), the Philippine government has done an excellent job of putting into action the lessons learned from Haiyan. “All arms of government, including PAGASA and the NDRRMC, and municipalities like Tacloban have pulled together to save lives and minimize the damage being inflicted by this disaster event.”
“Filipinos have learned to take this climate change seriously, and that it is best to take caution to leave their homes and evacuate to safer structures,” says LA-born designer Renée Patron. Although she survived the destructive effects of Haiyan when she was in her hometown of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, it took a while for her business to get back on the ground. A profile on Renée in Zee Lifestyle’s Dec.-Jan. 2015 issue details how Haiyan destroyed the entire production of her business, Banago, a collection of bags and home accessories hand-woven from the banig by women from Samar. “In the blink of an eye, our homes, our towns, our natural materials, our production facility—close to half a million dollars in production—were all taken by the storm surge and typhoon,” she reminisces.
Mats used to make Banago products damaged after Typhoon Haiyan. Photo taken from Renee Patron of Banago
In September this year, a Kickstarter campaign by Banago and Livelihood United raised $20,000 to help restore the livelihoods of over 400 women in Samar. In the light of Hagupit, Renée shared that the typhoon did not cause that much damage this time around. “We made sure all the finished products and machines were kept in a safe place this time,” she shares. “We made sure all the supplies—gadgets, first aid kits and food—were at hand and in a place where it would be kept dry.” Her experience with Haiyan taught her which kinds of structures were safe, in case of strong winds or flooding. “We went the extra mile to make sure we could survive another super typhoon.”
Guiuan, Eastern Samar, where Banago produces its bags and home accessories, left in a wreck after Typhoon Haiyan. Photo taken by Chris Darza
Following Haiyan, Kent moved to Manila, yet the ghosts of the storm continued to haunt him. “I didn’t get enough sleep when Hagupit was making its way to the Visayas,” he admits. “Thankfully, no storm surge—just a bit of damage on the outside of the house, but we still had a roof.”
“Everyone was better prepared, but mostly because everyone experienced the worst and didn’t want to go through the whole thing again,” Kent says. He believes that Filipinos now have a better idea about storm categories, speed, storm surges, and the importance of climate change. While typhoons before averaged 160-180 KPH; now it looks like typhoons above 200 KPH are the norm.
Most destructive storms in the Philippines in the past ten years. Infographic by Ehds Javier
“We’ve learned to heed calls for evacuation—to take the information they see on weather bulletins seriously,” he adds.
Haiyan was a shadow that loomed over Hagupit, especially with such a short span of time between these two storms. “Make no mistake. It may take only weeks or months to rebuild homes, but it will take years to replace lost livelihoods and to heal hearts torn apart by loss,” Dondi Joseph writes in ‘Moving Forward’, the cover story for Zee Lifestyle’s Dec.-Jan. 2014 issue post-Haiyan. “We must never forget Yolanda—not only for the sake of those who suffered, but for the sake of those who survived and still live in the peril of more catastrophes—as we all do,” his article continues.
Haiyan and Hagupit weren’t the first, nor will they certainly be the last. As Dondi states in his article, “Through the devastation, the human spirit is battered but not broken.” All the more, while the world praised the resiliency of the Filipinos, the lessons brought forth by Haiyan are ultimately its legacy to our countrymen.
by Patty Taboada
This story is an update on Typhoon Hagupit, as well as a follow-up to Dondi Joseph’s ‘Moving Forward’, the cover story for Zee Lifestyle’s December 2013-January 2014 issue.
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