Tag: typhoon

Six Months After Haiyan, Lives are Being Rebuilt

Rosario waves from inside the frame of her new home. Her former home was destroyed when Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Medair.
Rosario waves from inside the frame of her new home. Her former home was destroyed when Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Medair.

“We are now safe…” Rosario was overcome with emotion as she uttered those four simple words. The 62-year-old grandmother is raising a young grandson. Their home was destroyed when Typhoon Haiyan struck on November 8, 2013.

It was six months ago today that Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines—leaving more than 3 million people homeless and taking the lives of 7,300. In the months since this tragedy, World Concern and our Integral Alliance partners have been helping people like Rosario rebuild their lives. There is much work left to do, but seeing the hope on faces like Rosario’s and her grandson’s is encouraging.

With help from donors who gave selflessly after the typhoon, Rosario and her 8-year-old grandson have a home of their very own once again. “I can continue on now… and be safe in a strong shelter,” she says.

World Concern and our partners Medair and Food for the Hungry have been able to make a great impact in the Philippines. Immediately after the tragedy, our donors helped provide food, water, emergency supplies, and psychosocial support for traumatized children.

More recently, we’re focusing on providing shelter and housing—like Rosario’s home, which  was being built in March when these photos were taken. Rosario says her grandson is “very proud and happy” to have such a strong shelter to live in. “He feels special and noticed,” she tells us.

A family in the Philippines outside their newly constructed home. Photo by Miguel Samper, courtesy of Medair.
A family in the Philippines outside their newly constructed home. Photo by Miguel Samper, courtesy of Medair.

Rosario and others in her community also received disaster risk reduction training, so that when the next storm hits, they’ll be prepared and know how to stay safe. It may take years to rebuild in the Philippines, but organizations, churches, and communities are committed to building back better.

“It is hard to express in words, but I am very thankful,” Rosario says. “We now have new hope and the courage to move on.”

 

Praying for Marubot

Finally, the first tears fell tonight. I’m ashamed to say, I’ve been too busy to cry. I’ve been quoting statistics all week, since the fury of Typhoon Haiyan left a bleeding gash on the Philippine islands. And repeating the message of why we need to help—now.

10 million affected

10,000 possibly dead

650,000 displaced

For some reason, those numbers just felt like numbers.

But tonight, sitting in my darkened car, reading the email on my phone about the first assessments in an area that took 7 hours to reach by car, it finally hit me.

Marubot. That’s the community the assessment team reached today. It has a name. It’s important for us to know its name, don’t you think?

And then the numbers:

24 barangays (villages)

15,946 individuals affected

7,344 families

2,058 dead.

That’s when the tears came. 2,058. Each one, a precious life. Unprotected from this God-awful, mammoth storm that made history. Gone.

“The municipality is totally destroyed,” the report reads. “Not one house is left standing. The barangays are 100% damaged.”

“People are eating coconut meat mixed with salt for survival.”

And they’re sick. With no drinking water, diarrhea is spreading fast.

No water. No electricity. No cellphone signal.

And until today, no one had been there yet to help. This team was the first.

This area is just one of hundreds waiting for help to arrive.

Suddenly, the numbers came to life. 10 million affected.

Lord, help them. Please help them.

I am encouraged by the flood of support pouring in. I listen to the phones ring at World Concern all day, and I hear my coworkers blessing and thanking generous donors whose hearts are also broken.

It makes me feel like we’re in this together. All of us. People whose homes are still standing, and who have something more to eat than coconut and salt.

Thank you for giving, and for caring. And for praying.

We’re coming, people of Marubot. Keep hanging on. We’re in this together.

 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)