Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Typhoon Haiyan) is considered the strongest recorded tropical cyclone to make landfall, with wind speeds up to 195 miles per hour (314 km/h). The typhoon entered the Philippine area of responsibility early on November 6, 2013, the eye of the cyclone made its first landfall in the Philippines at Guiuan, Eastern Samar. The news suggested that this maybe the strongest typhoon to ever hit our country. The Philippine government created disaster preventive measures and designated local government units to evacuate people who will be affected. Unfortunately, a lot of us were surprised by the massive damage brought by this calamity.
Thousands of dead bodies (photo by Reuters)
After the storm, more than a thousand people were killed and as the death toll increase many feared that it may reach up to 10,000 according to the news. I watched the news and all I can see are dead bodies scattered everywhere, debris from buildings and house wreckage, trees and other structures that are scattered on the streets which makes it difficult for the rescue teams and relief operations to penetrate the area. I was terrified with what I saw on television, the media personnel’s who take refuge on a church was not spared by the wrath of typhoon Yolanda. The video footage displays how the church was destroyed, luckily these persons are safe. The same fate happened to the other media personnel’s who are airing on a different location, they stayed at the second floor of the hotel near the coastal area. The strong winds pummeled the hotel and the first floor was submerged in water, luckily they survived and no one was harmed.
A hope of Filipinos after Typhoon Yolanda (Global Post)
On Sunday November 10, 2013, President Aquino traveled by helicopter to Tacloban City, Leyte to check the damage on that area. Approximately ninety percent (90%) of the city structures were destroyed, roads are impassable, people are sick because there is no available medicine, people are hungry because there is no food. It is sad to see that the people have nowhere to go and nothing to eat -some of them resorted into looting. The news showed some victims steal food from stores and other establishments out of desperation. In line with the recent lootings the government had deployed several hundred soldiers to control the situation, and to bring peace and order on that area.
According to the news the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), 23 countries along with United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have offered help and assistance to the victims of typhoon Yolanda. Several International and Local Organizations also provide help for those who were affected but aside from financial assistance what the victims need right now is food, clean water, and medicines. The victims need all the help that they can get and I believe that our government should also provide them livelihood assistance and support them in rebuilding their home.
(Photo by Global Post) a helpless cry from a mother
I am deeply saddened about what has happened to our province. I was born in Leyte and I have a lot of relatives there, even my father was there too so when the news came out and we saw on television how massive the damages are we were terrified. Imagine, our town is a coastal area about two to three hours away from Tacloban Leyte and no one knows the extent of damage caused by the recent disaster in our town. I can vividly remember the last text message we got from my father saying that he is hungry and cannot get outside because of the strong winds that carry all sorts of debris. We haven’t heard of my father since then, and for the past few days we are just waiting for the news until yesterday when I got a message from my Dad telling me that he is alright and he is in Ormoc Leyte trying to buy food. We haven’t heard any news about our other relatives and we are still hoping that they are all safe.
Clearly, the impact of this tragedy to our fellow countrymen in Leyte is massive but I believe that the people from Leyte will recover. Let us hope and pray that they can recover from any loss soon. No tragedy can bring us down, we are resilient, and we are resourceful. I remember a victim being interviewed and said she will leave that place and stated walking when the reporter asked her where, she just said anywhere but here. We need to move on, in times like these we have to be strong and we shouldn't have this defeated behavior – surrender is not an option.
- This article is dedicated to all the victims of typhoon Yolanda *
