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Climate change

One year after Typhoon Haiyan

Trócaire 6 Nov 2014

It’s 12 months since Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest ever storm to make landfall, struck the Philippines. Thousands died and the damage was catastrophic. 

People in Ireland donated over €3 million towards our emergency appeal to support survivors.  

Trócaire has been supporting brave Filipino people to rebuild their lives, as part of the global Caritas network, funding new homes, debris clearance, water, sanitation and psychosocial care. 

Thank you so much to all who supported our appeal. Here are some of the people you have helped…

Apolonio Orbito Philippines

Apolonio Orbia (above) from San Antonio on Cebu Island was found sitting on the side of a hill after his home and all he had was blown away. Sr. Anne Healy, an Irish nun from the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary missionary order, received funding from Trócaire to build new homes for Apolonio and his community. 

Sister Anne Healy Philippines
 
Sr. Anne (above) drove for hours to reach affected villages after the typhoon hit. “The fear on their faces. They didn’t know what was going to happen. Afterwards the children were scared when they saw the rain. It was very hard… People have helped each other to rebuild.”
 
Lucrisia Pepito Philippines
 
“I cried when the typhoon hit. The fog was so bad. I couldn’t see my neighbours and it was so windy. I’m very happy now,” says Lucrisia Pepito (pictured above).
 
rebuilding schools on bantayan island
 
Trócaire is supporting school reconstruction on Bantayan island. Schools were used as a place of refuge after the typhoon. 
 
Feliso Deo Philippines
 
Local parent Feliso Deo (above) explained: “We saw the roof of our house fly off. We ran from room to room… We went to the school. It was flooded. The water was up to my knee, so we put holes in the walls to drain it. At night we put roof insulation of the floor to sleep on. The young children lay down, the older children and adults slept sitting up. People had no food. I shared what I had. We are happy that the schools are being rebuilt and that our houses are repaired.”
 
Argie and Julie Anne outside Trocaire funded house in Tacloban
 
“The storm surge came in three big tidal waves. We heard a loud noise, then the water. There was metal and trees flying around” say Julie Anne and Argie Barigon (pictured outside their Trócaire-funded house above).
 
“There were lots of people going to the airport to leave this place. On our way there we saw dead bodies all over the road. The smell was so bad in the airport. My children got rashes and got sick from drinking dirty water. After two days a navy ship brought us to Cebu.

“This house is better than the one we had before the typhoon. Now, we are alert all the time and keep safe. We have a cell phone and track the news and radio to hear if there is a storm coming.”

mildred taboso tacloban

Single mother, Mildred Taboso, holds a picture of her two children who were killed in the typhoon. She said: “The work of Trócaire and CRS [Trócaire partner] has really helped, to have this house and not have to build it myself. When the typhoon came we stayed here because we didn’t know that there would be a flood. The water was over 15 feet. We left after the second wave came. My two children were taken by the water within an hour. I miss them sleeping in my arms.” 

By Meabh Smith, reporting from the Philippines. All photos by Peter O’Doherty

 
 

Categories

Climate change
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Trócaire

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