Weathering the Fiercest Storm
that was HAIYAN: Our Story
The Calm Before the Storm
Days before the storm, measures in the office were already
well under way as everything that could possibly be done to prepare against
Typhoon Haiyan, were being worked on at a frantic pace. As Reniel, LCDe administrative officer
recalls “We were preparing for the worst
as all the reports hinted at a typhoon of tremendous proportions”
Of the eight staff that stayed in the office, six of them
slept in the main building, alongside a road, which was also not far from the
staff house, situated near a creek, where the other two were residing in. The
power went out at about 10 p.m. that night, and everyone slowly drifted to
sleep with a faint sense of dread as to what the morning might bring.
The Tempest
November 8, at 6 a.m., many of LCDEs’ staff were awake and started
to feel the wind picking up strength then at around 7 a.m. its force increased
exponentially as all sound was drowned by the terrifying roar that came along
with it and to make matters worse, sheets of rain started to fall, and blown by
the wind, it soon turned into a fine spray of mist, greatly reducing visibility.
LCDE volunteers Alan and Edzel, who were staying at the on
the second floor of the office along with several other staff, started to feel
the intensity of the storm mounting as every massive gust of wind battered and
shook the whole structure “At that very
moment we felt confident that our office would hold fast, we learned very soon
it wouldn’t” Alan remarked, and as the roof was peeled before their very
eyes, the second story came crashing down. Shock immediately turned to fear and
in an instant, the instinct to survive overrode all other emotions as everyone
scrambled to get down from the ruined second level. Remarkably no one was
seriously hurt, and they soon found shelter on a corner of the main floor near
one of the two entrances the office had, they previously planned to stick to the
side entrance, but were unable to do so as mountains of debris blocked their
path, so they quickly decided to stay in close proximity to the front entrance
which remained largely passable. Crouched and hugging the wall behind them, all
six staff felt safe for the first time in what seemed like forever even as wind
and rain battered their weary and frightened faces.
Outside the wind was gaining ferocity, toppling trees,
flattening houses, and sending cars and trucks alike tumbling in all
directions. For many people safety fell out of the equation as Haiyan engulfed
them and staying alive was all that was left in their minds.
For the two employees staying in the staff house, events
were no less harrowing, as windows exploded into shards and the roof was blasted
away from its frame by the sheer force of the wind, all they could do was cower
into whatever they could get their hands onto to put between them and the
storm. Reniel hid behind a television and LCDE advocacy officer Carlo went into
a crouched position in a corner holding a life-vest in front of him for cover.
Reniel called out to his colleague to hide with him as the television offered
much better protection than anything else around them, despite being pelted in
the face by rubble brought by the wind, Carlo found his way to the television
and took shelter alongside his coworker. It did not take long for both of them
to realize the place they were in was not as safe as it seemed since the
ceiling above them was starting to give way along with frames attached to it,
so they quickly decided to make a run for the shower rooms just behind the
staff house and though small and cramped it soon proved to be one of the safest
places in the compound.
Total Destruction
An hour and a half went by, and still Haiyan raged on,
tearing across Leyte and Samar, obliterating almost everything in its path and
creating deadly storm surges with towering waves, pounding entire coastlines
and flooding whole towns all across the provinces.
At around this time, the staff staying in the main office
were forced to make a hasty exit out of the building because its walls were
beginning to buckle under the strain of the immense forces the wind was
generating, and just in time too, since only moments after making their way out,
the wall they were hiding on came down with a crash and would have killed them
instantly had they not decided to take their chances outside. Almost crawling
due to the strong gusts of wind and half-blind due to the haze the rain was
creating, all six astonishingly found their way into a large and sturdy tree,
just alongside the office, and sought refuge on its base. Then not long after
LCDE project coordinator Jeffrey Ronda decided on a bold move. To run all the
way to the Staff house, the only place he knew where safety could be found,
half-screaming because of the howling maelstrom of wind, he told his other five
companions of his plan which they promptly agreed on. Jeffrey made it to the
staff house, ducking through fallen branches and debris being flung about, he
then found his way into the little shower room where his other two colleagues
were hiding in. Though safe, save for a few cuts, his heart sank as he realized
that none of his co-workers were able to follow him.
Both Reniel and Carlo were bewildered as soon as Jeffrey
told them of the events that transpired in the main office and it quickly
became apparent that someone had to go and lead those left behind into safety. Reniel
immediately volunteered himself, and before any protests could be made, ran all
the way to where his six colleagues were hiding in, running the very same
gauntlet Jeffrey went through. Carlo, left behind, kept a level head throughout
and held on tightly at the small roof over their heads against the tremendous
winds. Reniel found all six exactly where Jeffrey said they would be, and
quickly led them back to the shower rooms. It was there that they rode out the
storm. Though shivering and scared, all of them showed remarkable grit and
fortitude. For two hours the storm continued and for two hours they endured but
thankfully by 10:30 a.m. Haiyan finally died down.
Aftermath
As all of them slowly emerged from the shower rooms, pushing
loads of debris aside, the landscape that greeted them was apocalyptic. The
staff house was in ruins, its roof torn off, and the main office was nothing
but a pile of rubble and twisted metal. The damage to LCDE and the surrounding community
was total.
Fortunately none of the staff were seriously hurt, except
for Roanne who suffered some bruises as a falling branch grazed her.
Rising to the Needs of the Times
The task that LCDE as an organization faced was daunting: to
operate and launch immediate disaster response action amidst the destruction of
their office, and barely surviving what was now known as the strongest typhoon ever
recorded in history. All these challenges LCDE overcame and more, though
severely crippled, operational capacity was up and running just several days
after the storm. An organization with a lesser will would have been broken by
these turn of events, but LCDE held fast, and as of December 30, 2013 has
served more than 17,000 families across Samar and Leyte. By the end of January
2014, LCDE intends to serve 27,000 families with the standard pack per family
of : 25 kg rice, 1 kilo dried fish, 5 cans sardines, 3 cans corned beef, sugar,
cooking oil, 3 meters plastic sheets, 1 mat and 1 blanket. Vegetable seeds were
also distributed to the beneficiaries.
January 2014 will mark the start of LCDE early recovery and
rehabilitation programs. This will be made possible through the support of foreign
partners like DKH-Germany, Peace Wind-Japan, Civic Force-Japan, Hope
Bridge-South Korea, CARE-International and Mercy Relief-Singapore.
The
task at hand is enormous, considering that before typhoon Haiyan, eastern
visayas (samar/leyte) was already the 3rd poorest region in the
Philippines according to 2012 NEDA data. One can imagine the impact on the
lives of people already living below the poverty line. This is the
challenge…and LCDe intends to rise up to the call of the times.
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