Weathering the Fiercest Storm that was HAIYAN: Our Story

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 3^rd 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.