reflection essay about typhoon yolanda

Our Environment Matters.

Disaster · International

A reflection: Huge challenges ahead in finding new hope after Typhoon Yolanda

• by Philippine Environews
• December 18, 2013

(This piece was composed on my way back home after an emotionally and physically exhausting trip to typhoon-devastated Tacloban City and Guiuan in Eastern Samar.)

Last month, Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit central Philippines. It was the strongest typhoon ever recorded in history. The destruction is indeed akin…unimaginable.

It was heartbreaking to hear horrific stories of how the super typhoon destroyed their communities and lives. I felt the immense pain of loss and despair. No enough words to describe the grief of the people who survived.

The monstrous destruction made the national and international humanitarian aid, private sectors and the United Nations jostle to respond to their immediate needs. But up to this point, most of them clamor for food, water, medicine, jobs, and a roof over their heads. They complained of the slow process of distribution of relief goods in their barangays. I hope this would looked into by the local government and Rehabilitation czar Senator Panfilo Lacson.

At the short span of time of being there, I think I’ve seen too much. They need our help, our immediate assistance.

Despite the disaster, I saw how strong the people are. They show incredible strength even when aid seems bleak. Somehow, I see hope in the midst of their suffering. I believe that they will rise once more. I believe.

Me and my team left Tacloban City and Eastern Samar with a heavy heart, in disbelief that this could really happen…it could happen to my community, to their communities and to yours too.

As journalists, all we can do is to use the power of our pen, to show in our stories and photographs that there is a dire need to prepare for the worst disasters to come and to warn our public officials to urgently take climate action, to allot a huge climate or disaster fund as well as seriously implement disaster risk reduction management and urban planning.

Christmas is just around the corner. I hope that we remember the survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda as we celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

For now, let’s all find time to look back, reflect, and help find new hope for the Filipino people.

Imelda V. Abano is the President of PNEJ. This trip was funded in part by donations generated through the global giving crowd funding campaign.

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Philippines: Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) - In Retrospect - Humanitarian Impact and Response Achievements of the Humanitarian Country Team (as of 26 October 2023)

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Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) was among the largest and most destructive typhoons recorded to date. It made landfall on the morning of 8 November 2013 in Guiuan, Eastern Samar province. It made subsequent landfalls in Tolosa south of Tacloban City, Leyte province, Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island, Cebu province, Conception, Iloilo province and Busuanga, Palawan province leaving widespread damage to life, housing, livelihoods and infrastructure across affected provinces. Many cities and towns experienced widespread destruction, with as much as 90 per cent of housing destroyed in some areas. It is estimated that over 16 million people were affected; 4 million displaced; and more than 6,000 deaths in 41 provinces across 9 regions. Massive humanitarian response was undertaken by international and local organizations, including UN, I/NGOs, CSOs, Red Cross, FBOs, Private sector and many other organizations in support of government-led response.

Ten years on, experiences and lessons learned on disaster preparedness and response have evolved thanks to the concerted efforts of the government, civil society as well as humanitarian and development partners. Constant innovation in disaster resilience remains critical to combat the challenges posed by climate change, deepening inequality and other drivers of disaster risk.

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Joint statement of the humanitarian country team on the 10th year anniversary of super typhoon haiyan in the philippines, philippines humanitarian bulletin issue 4 | 1 to 30 april 2016, philippines humanitarian bulletin issue 3 | 1 to 31 march 2016, typhoon haiyan (yolanda) final periodic monitoring report november 2013 to august 2014.

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Philippines: Lessons Learned from Typhoon Yolanda An Assessment of the Post-Yolanda Short and Medium-Term Recovery and Rehabilitation Interventions of the Government

The Philippines is increasingly exposed and vulnerable to natural hazards, which undermines poverty reduction and long-term growth. Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which struck the Philippines in 2013, is considered the strongest typhoon1 ever to make landfall. Typhoon Yolanda has caused over 6,300 reported fatalities and an additional 2.3 million people were estimated to have fallen below the poverty line. The total damage and loss was estimated at PHP 571.1 billion (USD 12.9 billion) hampering economic growth by about 0.9 % in 2013, and another 0.3 % in 2014.2 Considering that Typhoon Yolanda was declared a level 3 category by the United Nations, it brought about several issues on the disaster governance aspect. The event highlighted the following major issues on the side of government and all other non-government actors: coordination at all levels, aid transparency and accountability, systems and protocols for donations and assistance, conduct of post-disaster needs assessment, recovery planning, implementation, monitoring, and communications. In the aftermath of Yolanda, several donor-financed studies and assessments were undertaken on the response of government. However, the documentation is limited on certain areas where the donors were engaged in. Bits and pieces of post-disaster response and recovery recommendations were provided, but there was no consolidated assessment of the overall Post-Yolanda recovery efforts of government. Four years after Typhoon Yolanda, government emphasized the need to conduct an objective assessment of the overall post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation interventions. The Government of the Philippines (GoP) through the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) requested for strategic recommendations that are operational, practical and applicable at the national and sub-national level to address the recovery issues and bottlenecks and speed up implementation in future reconstruction efforts. In response to the government’s request, the team conducted an assessment of specific aspects of the country’s short and medium-term recovery from the disaster. It was done through a review of official reports, studies and analytical work done by key government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.

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“Pa-siyam”: Super Typhoon Yolanda 9 years later and lessons (yet to be) learned

Pa-siyam describes the tradition of praying nine consecutive days for the dead. Its observance brings opportunity to mourn and grieve, as well as reflect and commemorate.   In the case of Super Typhoon Yolanda, nine years, not simply nine days, after its onslaught, the anniversary necessitates a moment of reflection and remembrance. What lessons have we learned almost a decade after this climate disaster?

Read this opinion piece by SEI Asia’s Albert Salamanca and Minh Tran published by Rappler.

Albert Salamanca / albert.salamanca@sei.org Minh Tran / minh.tran@sei.org

Photo: Rappler  .

In 2013, the 19th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP19) began with heartfelt prayers to communities in the Philippines that had just been hit by Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons on record. World leaders and climate activists urged governments to urgently address the escalating climate crisis.

This year, the anniversary of Yolanda takes place as world leaders are convening for the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, once again opening the international stage to discuss pressing climate issues that leave communities at risk of suffering losses and damages due to extreme weather events.

Displaced, resettled, and perpetually precarious

Just a couple weeks before this year’s commemoration, Tacloban City declared a  cholera outbreak   with at least 192 cases recorded in the city. Most of the cases were found in Barangay 106, where the  source   has been traced to a polluted creek and the water processing plant. Barangay 106 is home to resettlement housing projects for those displaced by Yolanda, along with other villages where permanent housing units were constructed in the city.

When the storm struck in 2013, Tacloban was one of the hardest hit areas in the typhoon path. Ninety percent of the city was destroyed, with massive loss of lives and displacement recorded. In the wake of the disaster, the city government initiated large-scale resettlement, moving families from high-risk coastal areas to 40 km north of the city center. Disaster-affected residents, including former informal settlers, were given new permanent housing. Yet, for many, lives and livelihoods remain bleak.

Access to clean water, for instance, remains a challenge. Earlier this year, during a human rights monitoring visit to four permanent shelter areas in Tacloban, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) recorded water meters not installed per household, and limited supply of continuous water in the housing units.

The relocation from coastal settlements up north has also moved many people further away from their original sources of income and work. Housing units are also often too small, leading better off families to self-construct extension spaces, thereby exposing neighboring units to structural risks. The COVID-19 pandemic also further  exacerbated   the precarious living conditions of displaced families. These are just few of the new and continued challenges faced by communities displaced by Yolanda; persistent issues of poverty and safety and security remain present.

Rights of the relocated and roles of duty-bearers

A survey of 311 displaced households conducted by the CHR and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in 2020 found that needs and human rights of displaced people remain unmet and unfulfilled, particularly safety, security, and freedom of movement; adequate standard of living; employment and livelihoods; housing, land, and property; and participation in public affairs. Thirty percent of the respondents found their livelihoods to have worsened, and half found water quality and access to be poor. Further, less than 40% of the households hold ownership documentation for their housing units, with many still insecure about their tenure rights and status.

Evidently, disaster-induced displacement and relocation compromise basic human rights of affected people.  Durable solutions   are needed to ensure internally displaced persons (IDPs) can fully enjoy their rights while no longer having protection or assistance needs due to displacement. This includes, among others, effective provisioning of basic services for affected families, ensuring land titles and tenure security, and inclusion of displaced people in decision-making.

The human rights issues surrounding displacement in Tacloban City are reflections of serious loopholes in the current legal frameworks. The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (RA 10121) must be revised to address human rights issues, particularly in relation to approaching and responding to disaster displacement and institutionalizing an accountability arrangement for duty bearers.

A human rights-based legislation or policy at the national and local levels on internal displacement could also provide the framework for an inclusive, participatory, and more accountable response to evacuation, recovery, and resettlement.

A finance facility for the most vulnerable

Nine years after its landfall in a nation frequented by an average of 20 disasters each year, Yolanda’s impacts are still felt and lived every day. Its prolonged implications on human rights and livelihoods are examples of losses and damages that communities are experiencing due to climate variability and extreme events.

Financial resources must extend beyond disaster relief and cater to the needs of those most vulnerable, and address not only economic but also cultural, psychological, livelihood, and other  non-economic loss and damage   , such as those associated with displacement and resettlement.

Indeed, Yolanda was part of the push that led to the creation of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage at COP19. By COP26, the quest for a dedicated fund, however, has not materialized. If we are to learn from the tragic event and the sustained devastation that followed, and uphold the principles of climate justice, a finance facility that puts vulnerable communities at its heart must be realized.

Reflecting on the Yolanda experience, Dean Antonio La Viña of the Manila Observatory believes that “rebuilding places and restoring lives after a major climate event does not happen automatically, without strategic interventions and sustainable finance. This is where a loss and damage finance facility is relevant and useful. While humanitarian aid after a disaster is needed, it is simply not delivered at the scale and urgency that would result in restitution and restore places and people back or even to a better place where they were not before the climate disaster hit them.”

Looking ahead

Ahead of COP27, recent reports show a  record-high level   of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, yet current nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are  insufficient and not ambitious   enough;  a system-wide transformation   is urgently needed. Crises continue to happen, with Typhoon Odette in December 2021, Typhoon Karding in September 2022, and, during the last week of October, massive flooding across many areas in the Philippines.

The response in the aftermath of Yolanda and the development efforts that followed to rebuild lives and livelihoods provide rich lessons. Yet, clearly, we have not learned.

Much of development and critical infrastructures are still being built in places that are exposed to coastal hazards. Access to productive livelihoods continue to be a challenge for the resettled communities. And as shown above, the fundamental human rights of those who suffered from the wrath of the super typhoon remains unfulfilled.

Catastrophic losses and damages due to the deepening climate crisis will continue unless we act with haste and ambition.

As negotiations are underway in Sharm el-Sheik, the experiences and lessons learned from Yolanda will inform the deliberations of the parties. It is vital that States set ambitious NDCs and commit to their realization. The creation of  financing mechanisms    extending beyond climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction to address loss and damage must be set and committed.

Measures need to put front and center the needs, capacities, and human rights of vulnerable communities. Funding must be directly accessible without additional burdens and communities must play key roles as decision-makers every step of the way.

Whether one practices  pa-siyam or not, Yolanda’s ninth anniversary is not the end of learning and reflections. It should guide us to end the disproportional vulnerabilities experienced by local communities. Through committed action and robust and rooted policy frameworks, States and stakeholders have the power to ensure there will be no more Yolandas to happen anywhere in the world.

Research Fellow

Senior Research Fellow

Read the article

• [OPINION] ‘Pa-siyam’: Super Typhoon Yolanda 9 years later, and lessons (yet to be) learned

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[OPINION] ‘Pa-siyam’: Super Typhoon Yolanda 9 years later, and lessons (yet to be) learned

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Pa-siyam describes the tradition of praying nine consecutive days for the dead. Its observance brings opportunity to mourn and grieve, as well as reflect and commemorate. In the case of Super Typhoon Yolanda, nine years, not simply nine days, after its onslaught, the anniversary necessitates a moment of reflection and remembrance. What lessons have we learned almost a decade after this climate disaster?

In 2013, the 19 th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP19) began with heartfelt prayers to communities in the Philippines that had just been hit by Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons on record. World leaders and climate activists urged governments to urgently address the escalating climate crisis. 

This year, the anniversary ofYolanda takes place as world leaders are convening for the 27 th Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, once again opening the international stage to discuss pressing climate issues that leave communities at risk of suffering losses and damages due to extreme weather events. 

Displaced, resettled, and perpetually precarious 

Just a couple weeks before this year’s commemoration, Tacloban City declared a cholera outbreak with at least 192 cases recorded in the city. Most of the cases were found in Barangay 106, where the source has been traced to a polluted creek and the water processing plant. Barangay 106 is home to resettlement housing projects for those displaced by Yolanda, along with other villages where permanent housing units were constructed in the city.

When the storm struck in 2013, Tacloban was one of the hardest hit areas in the typhoon path. Ninety percent of the city was destroyed, with massive loss of lives and displacement recorded. In the wake of the disaster, the city government initiated large-scale resettlement, moving families from high-risk coastal areas to 40 km north of the city center. Disaster-affected residents, including former informal settlers, were given new permanent housing. Yet, for many, lives and livelihoods remain bleak. 

Access to clean water, for instance, remains a challenge. Earlier this year, during a human rights monitoring visit to four permanent shelter areas in Tacloban, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) recorded water meters not installed per household, and limited supply of continuous water in the housing units.

The relocation from coastal settlements up north has also moved many people further away from their original sources of income and work. Housing units are also often too small, leading better off families to self-construct extension spaces, thereby exposing neighboring units to structural risks. The COVID-19 pandemic also further exacerbated the precarious living conditions of displaced families. These are just few of the new and continued challenges faced by communities displaced by Yolanda; persistent issues of poverty and safety and security remain present.

Everything you need to know about COP27

Rights of the relocated and roles of duty-bearers

A survey of 311 displaced households conducted by the CHR and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in 2020 found that needs and human rights of displaced people remain unmet and unfulfilled, particularly safety, security, and freedom of movement; adequate standard of living; employment and livelihoods; housing, land, and property; and participation in public affairs. Thirty percent of the respondents found their livelihoods to have worsened, and half found water quality and access to be poor. Further, less than 40% of the households hold ownership documentation for their housing units, with many still insecure about their tenure rights and status.

Evidently, disaster-induced displacement and relocation compromise basic human rights of affected people. Durable solutions are needed to ensure internally displaced persons (IDPs) can fully enjoy their rights while no longer having protection or assistance needs due to displacement. This includes, among others, effective provisioning of basic services for affected families, ensuring land titles and tenure security, and inclusion of displaced people in decision-making.

The human rights issues surrounding displacement in Tacloban City are reflections of serious loopholes in the current legal frameworks. The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (RA 10121) must be revised to address human rights issues, particularly in relation to approaching and responding to disaster displacement and institutionalizing an accountability arrangement for duty bearers. 

A human rights-based legislation or policy at the national and local levels on internal displacement could also provide the framework for an inclusive, participatory, and more accountable response to evacuation, recovery, and resettlement.

A finance facility for the most vulnerable

Nine years after its landfall in a nation frequented by an average of 20 disasters each year, Yolanda’s impacts are still felt and lived every day. Its prolonged implications on human rights and livelihoods are examples of losses and damages that communities are experiencing due to climate variability and extreme events. 

Financial resources must extend beyond disaster relief and cater to the needs of those most vulnerable, and address not only economic but also cultural, psychological, livelihood, and other non-economic loss and damage , such as those associated with displacement and resettlement.

Indeed, Yolanda was part of the push that led to the creation of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage at COP19. By COP26, the quest for a dedicated fund, however, has not materialized. If we are to learn from the tragic event and the sustained devastation that followed, and uphold the principles of climate justice, a finance facility that puts vulnerable communities at its heart must be realized. 

Reflecting on the Yolanda experience, Dean Antonio La Viña of the Manila Observatory believes that “rebuilding places and restoring lives after a major climate event does not happen automatically, without strategic interventions and sustainable finance. This is where a loss and damage finance facility is relevant and useful. While humanitarian aid after a disaster is needed, it is simply not delivered at the scale and urgency that would result in restitution and restore places and people back or even to a better place where they were not before the climate disaster hit them.”

COP27 a test for Marcos administration to walk the talk on climate change

Looking ahead

Ahead of COP27, recent reports show a record-high level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, yet current nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are insufficient and not ambitious enough; a system-wide transformation is urgently needed. Crises continue to happen, with Typhoon Odette in December 2021, Typhoon Karding in September 2022, and, during the last week of October, massive flooding across many areas in the Philippines. 

The response in the aftermath of Yolanda and the development efforts that followed to rebuild lives and livelihoods provide rich lessons. Yet, clearly, we have not learned. 

Much of development and critical infrastructures are still being built in places that are exposed to coastal hazards. Access to productive livelihoods continue to be a challenge for the resettled communities. And as shown above, the fundamental human rights of those who suffered from the wrath of the super typhoon remains unfulfilled. 

Catastrophic losses and damages due to the deepening climate crisis will continue unless we act with haste and ambition. 

As negotiations are underway in Sharm el-Sheik, the experiences and lessons learned from Yolanda will inform the deliberations of the parties. It is vital that States set ambitious NDCs and commit to their realization. The creation of financing mechanisms extending beyond climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction to address loss and damage must be set and committed.

Measures need to put front and center the needs, capacities, and human rights of vulnerable communities. Funding must be directly accessible without additional burdens and communities must play key roles as decision-makers every step of the way.

Whether one practices pa-siyam or not, Yolanda’s ninth anniversary is not the end of learning and reflections. It should guide us to end the disproportional vulnerabilities experienced by local communities. Through committed action and robust and rooted policy frameworks, States and stakeholders have the power to ensure there will be no more Yolandas to happen anywhere in the world. – Rappler.com

Minh Tran is a Research Associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute .

Albert M. Salamanca is a Senior Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute .

Ladylyn Lim Mangada is an Associate Professor in Political Science at UPV Tacloban College .

Reinna S. Bermudez, is Chief of the Center for Crisis, Conflict, and Humanitarian Protection of the Commission on Human Rights .

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Yolanda (Haiyan): Remembrance, Reflection and Responsibility

Nov 9 2017 - In the arcane world of natural disasters, names matter a great deal—not only because of history and science, but because people need them in order to remember or mourn what and whom they have lost.

Yen Makabenta

During its 2014 annual session, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap) announced that the name Haiyan would be retired from its naming lists on January 1, 2015, and would be replaced by the name Bailu.

This information is useful to have because yesterday, in seemingly just the wink of an eye, the nation was already marking the fourth anniversary of Yolanda (Haiyan) and its devastating landfall in the East Visayas on November 8, 2013.

It’s awkward that to be true to the historical and meteorological record one must also take account Yolanda’s international name. This is imperative because Yolanda’s claim to be one of the worst natural catastrophes in history is closely wedded to the fact that Haiyan made landfall and did great harm also in many other countries in Asia-Pacific, and they remember it also by a different name – their own or the international name.

Earthquakes and tsunamis have a simpler naming system. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which occurred on December 26,2004 is simply remembered as that. The undersea megathrust earthquake triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 to 280,000 people in 14 countries. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The event is known in the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake. The resulting tsunamis were given various names by the affected countries.

Filipinos refer to their biggest natural disaster simply as “Yolanda.” Instinctively, Philippine journalism attaches the word “Super” to Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), as if in salute.

Yolanda and the memory hole I monitored yesterday’s commemoration of Yolanda, and I have researched the progress of the rehabilitation and rebuilding of Leyte and Eastern Samar, in order to assure myself that my home region and home province are marching in stride with the ambitious programs of President Duterte.

I have an angst (dread) that because of the many failures of the Noynoy Aquino administration, Yolanda and its sorrows and lessons have been dumped by bureaucrats and politicians in a memory hole. There are so many things and so many tragedies that the Liberals and Yellows dearly hope would be forgotten by the nation. The new administration has its own promises that still remain to be honored.

The Oxford Dictionary defines a memory hole as “an imaginary place where inconvenient or unpleasant information is put and quickly forgotten.”

It originated from George Orwell’s novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which described a dystopian future, where historical documents and records could be disposed of to allow for manipulation of memories of the past. A memory hole is any mechanism for the alteration or disappearance of inconvenient or embarrassing documents, photographs, transcripts, or other records, such as from a website or other archive, particularly as part of an attempt to give the impression that something never happened.

I was curious to see how far the Aquino government went to revise the historical record of Yolanda, so that the following abominations would disappear:

Aquino government officials’ infamous statements: Aquino’s “Buhay ka pa, di ba?”; Mar Roxas’ “You are a Romualdez, the president is an Aquino,” and many others;

The accounting by former Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman of the billions of pesos worth of donations for Yolanda’s relief that were placed in her charge, and were reportedly mismanaged;

The failure of government up to now to deliver the thousands of houses that were promised to Yolanda victims;

The grotesque non-performance of Sen. Panfilo Lacson as rehabilitation czar under President Aquino, and the humbling lesson that an engineering task should never be assigned to a policeman.

At yesterday’s commemoration, thousands of families stricken by Yolanda held demonstrations in Tacloban City and Catarman, Northern Samar to protest the failures and demand better action from the Duterte government. People Surge, a non-government organization based in Tacloban City, staged a silent protest along the national highway in Tanauan, Leyte, which enumerated with five body bags the false promises of the Duterte government: the investigation of the “gang of five” (former President Benigno Aquino 3rd, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas 3rd, former Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla and former rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson), who collectively and individually neglected and denied vital assistance to the typhoon victims.

Comprehensive view of Haiyan To get a better and more incisive perspective on Yolanda (Haiyan), I recommend to readers the fine article of Wikipedia on the disaster. I never expected the online encyclopedia to be so thorough in discussing the scientific, geographic, humanitarian, economic and political dimensions of the tragedy.

The Wikipedia article on Haiyan is in its way the most enlightening and comprehensive that is readily available. It links the reader to further articles that shed important light on many topics.

It is especially enlightening in its discussion of the colossal humanitarian assistance and donations that countries made to assist the country in the relief and rehabilitation of Yolanda-affected areas.

It lists the aid given country by country and the invaluable contributions of private and philanthropic organizations. It was especially pleasing to see cited the impressive and comprehensive disaster response provided by the Taiwan-based Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, which organized a large-scale cash-for-work program in Tacloban from November 20 to December 8 with up to 31,000 participants per day, totaling nearly 300,000 day shifts. This operation not only helped clean out the thousands of tons of debris covering the city, but also kick-started the local economy. Tzu Chi also contributed emergency cash aid of P8,000, P12,000 or P15,000 pesos depending on family size for over 60,000 families in the affected areas of Tacloban, Ormoc, Palo, Tanauan and Tunga, and has provided free clinics, hot meals, and temporary classrooms for over 15 schools in the area.

Tzu Chi impacted Yolanda’s victims in a personal way. It’s assistance like this that enable families and stricken communities to recover from disaster.

So did many Filipino humanitarian and private foundations. They have not stopped up to this day.

Remembrance, reflection, responsibility Some people mistakenly believe that the Yolanda catastrophe should ever be remembered in all its horror and devastation. To do so is itself catastrophic.

Remembering Yolanda with an intensity that does not diminish over time will destine people to live in the past. This way, warned Ellen Goodman, “people will become curators of their ancestors’ grievances.”

It is foolhardy to interpret literally George Santayana’s counsel: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Repetition is also the fate of those who remember the past too well.

Far better is the counsel provided by the historian Carol Gluck. She made the case that what is really needed are three R’s: remembrance, reflection and responsibility.

She wrote: “We don’t want to transmit all the burdens of the past; we’re not looking for a constant open wound. What we need is remembrance for those who died and the day of the disaster. We need reflection for understanding how it really happened. We need to take responsibility for the past and therefore the present and the future.”

Among friends, relations and communities in Leyte who lived through Yolanda and its pain and sorrows, I have been most impressed firsthand by their indomitability and resilience.

In every traumatic experience, psychologists say, there is the fear of being paralyzed with grief. And then also the fear that recovery will require forgetting.

But forget we must. At some point, yes, we have to learn that Yolanda’s proper place belongs in the past.

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This story was originally published by The Manila Times, Philippines

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What does it mean to restart your life after disaster strikes? How do you rebuild your home when you’ve lost everything? When do you stop being afraid and start feeling hopeful again?

Exactly one year ago this weekend, Typhoon Haiyan (also called Yolanda) devastated the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people and forcing millions from their homes. In the aftermath, storm survivors of all ages faced tough questions like these. And then, with the support of Oxfam and other aid groups, they began, together, the hard work of recovery. For many of the country’s poorest residents, the last 12 months have been a test of endurance as they struggle to rebuild their homes and make a living .

Oxfam’s Eleanor Farmer spoke to people from the hard-hit Tacloban region earlier this year about both their hardships and their hopes for the future. Excerpts of their responses are below.

Vanessa Margallo

“The water rose immediately. That’s why the houses here were totally damaged. … Some people went to higher places in the mountains and some were thrown away by the big waves and some dead bodies were carried down towards the ships over there. We went to find a higher place in the mountains and we stayed there, we waited for the level of the water to go down.

I lost my nephews and my niece – three of them. We only recovered one body, one nephew. My other nephews were afraid to go to school because they don’t have anyone to accompany them like they did before the typhoon, because they used to all go to school together. My children said ‘Mom, I don’t want to go to school again because my cousins are not with me.’ They were classmates, too.

After the typhoon we built a temporary house here. As a mother, I don’t want to go back [to our former home], because what will happen if the waves rise again, if the strong rain comes again? Maybe it will happen again. My children are very afraid it will happen again.

Oxfam played a big role helping us to move on. They provided clean, safe water and containers, latrines, and the hygiene kits. We were happy because a lot of things were inside there.

I am grateful for my children, my husband, my mother, my father. They are still here. We are OK as long as we are all alive. That’s why I think I’m living now. That’s why I keep moving and living. I thank god I survived. I’m thankful my family is still complete. That’s why I will continue to live.”

Gerard Bito

“My favorite superhero is Superman. He is the master of all superheroes. I would like to be superman because he flies so fast. I would fly to Eastern Samar (Philippines) and I could fly away if there was a storm. I like to play on the beach with my friends. We play paper airplanes and we like to portray small houses and pretend we are living in the sea. We make a circle out of sand and build small houses. The adults tell us to stop playing. Our houses are not easily destroyed.”

“We are helping each other to start rebuilding our lives. In fact, now my child has gone fishing. If the clearing is done and the ships are pulled away and the road is completely clear so we can travel around this area, our business might turn into something.

I want to have my livelihood back, to go fishing, to have my boat back and the machines that we are going to use in fishing so that we can have some extra income and start over again.

I [had] imagined that someday this kind of big storm might come, but we didn’t expect that it would come this soon. We evacuated when the water was already high and the ship had come to this area. The day before Yolanda, I was observing the weather and listening to the radio and preparing the things that we would need if we needed to evacuate.

Maybe there will be some big storms in 30 years. We are not that afraid any more. I’m not afraid, the waves are not that strong, the wind is not that strong, and some mountains can cover the strong winds, so I’m not afraid. I want to live here and so do my children. I will stay here with my family, because I was born here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jennifer and Rose Pablo

Jennifer : “Our house [was] totally destroyed; there [was] nothing left except the floor. After, we started rebuilding our house. We started with the wall, but we were missing some materials because my husband doesn’t have a source of income and after the typhoon we haven’t got enough money to rebuild our house.

This tarpaulin is very important to us because rain or shine it is useful. When we are eating, it’s really hard to eat in the tent because it’s really warm inside and when it rains the floor gets wet. The tarpaulin is really helpful and that’s why we have built a small temporary house so that when we eat we have somewhere we can eat which is dry and cool.

We want a stronger house, a stronger house, a stronger house. We want the house to have a strong foundation so we don’t feel nervous or get scared when there is a typhoon.”

Rose: “I am very happy that I am now staying in a house, and also we will not be afraid anymore if there are strong winds because we are living here.

I wanted to stay here because this is where I was born and this is where my parents started their lives and this is also where my grandmother died. If there is another typhoon we will go to the nearest school and stay there overnight, so in case there is a flood we will be able to survive again just like the last time.

I like it now because there are more houses, and people do gardening, and there [are] a lot of people helping us rebuild. I am looking forward to playgrounds and games for the kids so everyone will be happy, not only me.”

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Publication: Philippines Lessons Learned from Yolanda: An Assessment of the Post-Yolanda Short- and Medium-Term Recovery and Rehabilitation Interventions of the Government

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Search form, documentary: together we stand after yolanda.

Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) left 4 million people homeless. An estimated 14,433 families were displaced in Tacloban alone. 

As of September 15, 2016, only 8% of the total target of the National Housing Authority in Tacloban have moved to permanent resettlement sites. 

How are survivors doing three years after the storm? These are their stories. 

As the country remembers the third anniversary of Haiyan, climate experts and world leaders are gathered in Morocco for the 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to discuss how the Paris climate agreement would be implemented. It is the first major summit since the treaty was adopted in Paris in December 2015. 

The Philippines is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. It is imperative that the implementation of the climate deal ensures that resources would be allocated to help vulnerable countries build their resilience and adapt to climate change.

Urge the Senate to ratify the Paris climate agreement now:  https://act.oxfam.org/asia/philippines-ratify

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