Draft Media Blog Posts

This morning Steve sent me a couple draft blog posts that he wrote with their media officer, and a few photos. Thought I'd share. I don't think these have been published to date, and I'm not sure what the ultimate plans are for these write ups.

BLOG #1

Chasing a typhoon seems a strange and somewhat insensitive thing to do, especially a Category 5 nightmare which packed winds of more than 300km/h. But as a Operations Officer with Save the Children this is simply what you do in times of crisis.

I was on a flight to Manila within hours of the call to deploy, before eventually making it to Roxas, in the province of Capiz on the island of Palay in the central Philippines – 2 days and after leaving the states, and my lovely wife and sweet 3 year old boy.

On arrival, the scene was one of serious destruction. Trees had been uprooted from the ground, buildings brought down to nothing but a pile of rubble, and power lines snapped in half. Barely a bamboo building remained upstanding.  The capital city of Roxas city has no power, no communications and contaminated water, and this is the best it gets in the area.

The rice paddies, rolling hills and crystal clear waters provided a bizarre backdrop to the destruction

The scene was one of utter and complete devastation, as families tried to reconcile with what happened and what had become of their lives. The tragedy was everywhere.

People told of losing loved ones. Those from neighboring islands to the east said barely a home was spared.

With power out, life has been made even harder.

I took part in Save the Children’s rapid assessment team going into Iloilo to determine what the needs of the communities were, which areas were worst affected and what support was already being provided.

In Pilar, the local school had been turned into an evacuation centre for residents from the nearby island of Sitio Cantel. Five-hundred people from the island took shelter there when the storm struck. Two men who stayed behind died.

To make matters worse, the rainfall has been heavy across the Philippines, with more wet weather to come. This means families, and especially children, are more prone to illness, not to mention making the rebuilding process even more difficult.

While the world’s media has rightly descended on Tacloban, Iloilo remains an island in desperate need of help.

Key figures as of 14/11/13 for Capiz

AFFECTED FAMILIES

139,564 families

688,120 people

Source: municipal DRR, etc.

DAMAGED HOUSES

96,538 totally damaged houses

20,868

CASUALITIES

50 dead

BLOG #2

The waterfront at Estancia will forever be seared into my memory as one of the most haunting sites I’ve ever seen.

The storm surge caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan obliterated the homes and shops that once stood overlooking the picturesque Visayas, leaving nothing but huge mounds of ruble.

Palm trees were uprooted, concrete power poles snapped in half and boats smashed to pieces.

As I walked through the remnants of the once lively community, locals were desperate to tell their stories.

Many had underestimated or not been informed of the sheer force Haiyan would bring, thinking their homes and the sea wall would hold it off.

Some escaped neck deep in water, as rain and deadly winds lashed down on them.

Several described the storm surge as tsunami like.

85 people died in Estancia that night, including many fishermen who lived on nearby islands.

Tragically, not only have people lost their homes but also their livelihoods. With hundreds of fishing boats destroyed, the main industry and a major source of food is in peril.

Now almost a week after the typhoon struck, attention is firmly focused on the long recovery process ahead.

Among the challenges is restoring electricity, gaining access to uncontaminated water supplies, providing shelter and returning livelihoods.

One important factor in the recovery process is ensuring that when homes, shops and local infrastructure are rebuilt, they are designed to better withstand the next typhoon. Haiyan should serve not just as a tragedy, but a lesson for the future.

Today we are awaiting Save the Children plane load of shelter kits and tarpaulins, which is due to arrive in the islands capital Roxas. This is a critical early step in what will no doubt be a lengthy response.