I came here expecting the worst and I did see the worst. It was early in the morning of November 15 when we arrived in Tacloban City, one of the most devastated places ravaged by supertyphoon Haiyan or Yolanda that fateful day of November 8, 2013. In the light of the day, the devastation was indescribable.
The houses, overturned cars, debris and trash all fell into a huge pile of rubble. Cadavers in body bags lined down the streets as hoards of frenzied people pass by. Everything smelled of death and decay. It was a week after the typhoon's landfall and the situation remained depressing.
However, as we went around the city, I saw signs of both desperation and hope. We found a group of people waiting in a makeshift tent along the road with a signboard expressing their need for food, water and clothes while on the other side of the city, people were lining up to get their relief goods from the government and humanitarian organizations. In a nearby community, some were already rebuilding their homes with materials they picked up from the rubble. In Brgy. Magallanes, we already heard the giggling and laughing of children playing.
Reminiscing our experience with tropical storm Sendong back in 2011, I know how important it is for the survivors to tell their stories so that others may know what they had gone through and what their hopes and aspirations are in the coming days and in the future.
The Waray emotionally shared their experience of the typhoon and I listened and struggled, not only to understand because of the language barrier but mostly in keeping my emotions at bay. Most of them lost their homes and family members and as they recounted those moments, I couldn't help but wonder how they remained strong. Asked how they will move on in the future, one of them said, "Babangon kami (We will rise); showing how their spirit is beginning to soar again.
This was enough to keep me hopeful and inspired that we will be able to send help in anyway we can to our people in Tacloban City and to help them move valiantly on.
To help, join us in our solidarity and support to the survivors of typhoon Yolanda, please reach out to MiHands (Mindanao Humanitarian Action Network against Disasters):
Tri-Peoples' Organization against Disasters (TRIPOD) Foundation, Inc.
37 Tulingan St. Usman Subdivision, Bagua 2, Cotabato City 9600 Maguindanao
email: tripodcc@yahoo.com
Telephone No.: 064 421 1369
Ranaw Disaster, Relief and Rehabilitation Assistance Center (RDRRAC)
Door 2 Maca-agir Apartment, 6th East Rosario Heights, Tubod, Iligan City, 9200, Lanao del Norte
email: rdrrac_inc@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment