On November 11th, 2013, Tacloban was hit by Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda. She was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, and she devastated the city. Total fatalities are recorded as 6,340, but every one we met placed the toll a lot higher; estimates ranged between 8-10,000.
There are still no bells at Leyte National high school, as they were destroyed in the storm. All the books in the library were destroyed. All resources, classroom materials, desks, computers, science equipment, roofs, and windows were destroyed. Some entire buildings were knocked down.
Chona Orzame lives in the coastal region of St Jose. She was awoken at 6 a.m. by a neighbor, who warned her that the water was coming. She, her husband, and daughter, Liberty, who had returned from working in Dubai, just the day before, managed to climb onto their roof along with 50 other people, including a neighbor with a two-day old baby whom she managed to save by tucking under her blouse. The 54 people watched bodies float by and waited for 3 hours for the water to subside. Everything in Chona's house was gone, or destroyed by the stinking water. It took months to clear the debris, and rebuild the house. On Obed's advice they have built a second story. It will happen again.
When I asked Obed why people didn't evacuate he answered: "We are hard-headed. No one believed Yolanda would be so big. We have typhoons all the time in Tacloban."
Twisted roofs, piled up vehicles, and topless palm trees are a common sight.
But, in spite of lack of insurance, with the help of foreign aid, and donations, re-building is on-going. Private individuals are still waiting for promised government assistance for their renovations.
But, in spite of lack of insurance, with the help of foreign aid, and donations, re-building is on-going. Private individuals are still waiting for promised government assistance for their renovations.