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Typhoon Haiyan diary 3: Mud and ruin in Tacloban

2013-11-13

By Nonoy Fajardo, UNICEF Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Specialist

The first look at the destruction left by Typhoon Haiyan is a shock – even for those used to working in disasters.

A boy displaced by Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) in the city of Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. UNICEF calls for support to be able to respond to the needs of all children and families affected.

A boy left homeless by Typhoon Haiyan in the city of Tacloban, Philippines

TACLOBAN, Philippines/ HONG KONG, 13 November 2013 – I have been working on emergencies for more than 15 years now, and I seriously thought I had seen it all.

But flying into Tacloban on Monday as part of a United Nations assessment team, I was in for a shock.

As the plane taxied along the bare runway, I could see mud and ruin – only mud and ruin – where once there had been trees and buildings and all the normal signs of life.

Yes, there was still a tarmac runway, but that was all that was there – a runway. Everything that had once been inside the terminal buildings was now outside, and what had been outside was inside, including a flight of boarding stairs.

We were told to avoid parts of the ruined buildings because there were still bodies in the rubble where airport employees had sought refuge from the storm.

The road from the airport once ran through small fishing villages that lined the coast. They are now completely gone.

Children walk amid the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) in the city of Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. An estimated 2.8 million preschool and school aged children may have been driven from their homes. On 10 November 2013 in the Philippines, Government-led emergency relief operations continue in the wake of the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), which hit the central Philippines on 8 November. At least 1,200 people have been killed in the Category-5 storm; the death toll is expected to rise as more affected areas become accessible. Some 9.5 million people in nine regions across the country have been affected, and an estimated 618,175 people have been displaced. Most of them are sheltering in overcrowded evacuation centres. The storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the world, also destroyed homes, schools, roads, communications and basic infrastructure, and damaged water supply systems. As a result, access to the worst affected areas remains limited, hampering humanitarian relief operations. In response to the emergency, UNICEF is rushing critical supplies to affected areas, including therapeutic food for children, health kits, and water and hygiene kits for up to 3,000 families. UNICEF is also airlifting US $1.3 million in additional relief supplies from its supply warehouse in Copenhagen for another 10,000 families, including those affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol Province in mid-October. The shipments contain water purification tablets, soap, medical kits, tarpaulin sheets and micronutrient supplements. UNICEF is also supporting water and sanitation, education and child protection interventions for vulnerable children and families.

Children in Tacloban walk amid the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

Eerie quiet

It was probably a mistake, but as we drove to the city hall, I counted the bodies we passed. I stopped at 100.

The dead were just lying there, among the dazed groups of survivors who were milling about. No structure was left untouched. Even the biggest and strongest concrete buildings were damaged.

There was an eerie quiet as I walked around the city hall. After the other emergencies I’ve worked on, I expected activity, convoys of trucks passing through.

But here there was nothing – no phones ringing, no bustle or movement – just dazed people shuffling about trying to find help and provisions.

I went to the city coliseum to talk to survivors. Even before they opened their mouths, I could see in their eyes the shock, fear and frustration at what they had just been through.

One man saw me with my satellite phone and told me, “Use that to call help and get food for us.”

Toys left in the rubble in the city of Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. UNICEF is working with local authorities to identify and register children who may be separated from their families in displacement. On 10 November 2013 in the Philippines, Government-led emergency relief operations continue in the wake of the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), which hit the central Philippines on 8 November. At least 1,200 people have been killed in the Category-5 storm; the death toll is expected to rise as more affected areas become accessible. Some 9.5 million people in nine regions across the country have been affected, and an estimated 618,175 people have been displaced. Most of them are sheltering in overcrowded evacuation centres. The storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the world, also destroyed homes, schools, roads, communications and basic infrastructure, and damaged water supply systems. As a result, access to the worst affected areas remains limited, hampering humanitarian relief operations. In response to the emergency, UNICEF is rushing critical supplies to affected areas, including therapeutic food for children, health kits, and water and hygiene kits for up to 3,000 families. UNICEF is also airlifting US $1.3 million in additional relief supplies from its supply warehouse in Copenhagen for another 10,000 families, including those affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol Province in mid-October. The shipments contain water purification tablets, soap, medical kits, tarpaulin sheets and micronutrient supplements. UNICEF is also supporting water and sanitation, education and child protection interventions for vulnerable children and families.

Toys left in the mud in Tacloban

Everything lost

I can only imagine the hunger and desperation a father must feel when he can't feed his children. And what about the children who have lost their loved ones and don't have anyone to care for them? I worry for the many children who for days now have had very little.

UNICEF trucks are arriving in the next days with essential supplies for children and their families. I’ve been told to stay and work with local and national authorities to get them distributed right away. I am hoping this can help.

After traveling through the city, I reported back to colleagues in Manila with a few bars of phone signal I could get in this one spot I found.

There’s no need to assess anymore, I told them.

These people here have lost everything. They need everything.

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