Typhoon Haiyan: 5 Years On in the Philippines

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Beven L. Pasusel sews curtains in a small village on the island of Leyte. This sewing machine is her livelihood and she’s using it for all its worth. Beven was able to start her business with help from the American Red Cross. After a 34-day paid training course on tailoring and business skills, the Red Cross gave her seed money, tools, and this machine.

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Analisa Dolon stands proudly in front of a shelf of her soap products in Aslum, on the island of Leyte. Analisa joined twenty of her neighbors to start this soap-making coop. The Red Cross funded business training for the entrepreneurs, gave them seed money and supplies; and even built the structure that hosts their business.

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Syra Grace gathers water from a tap in Santiago, Philippines. The town’s water system was damaged by a powerful typhoon, but the Red Cross has helped repair it—including this tap near Syra’s house and school. “The water system in our town is a great help. Before, we had a hard time getting water to everyone in town,” says Syra’s mother, Michelle.

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Students are healthier now and attendance has risen,” exclaims Jesedel Maraya, a teacher at Peñalosa Elementary School. The Red Cross has built a latrine and handwashing facility at the school and teaches students to be advocates for health and hygiene.

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Edwin Bausaz stands in front of his makeshift shelter in Imelda—a small village in the Philippines located right on the water. The American Red Cross is helping Edwin and his community move a few hundred meters inland, where they’ll be safer from storms. “It uplifts our spirits to move to safer land,” remarks Edwin.

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Adilaida Caalim runs her hand through the best-selling product at her agricultural supply store: pig feed. She and her neighbors started the store with help and funding from the American Red Cross.

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“If the Red Cross hadn’t come, we would not be able to recover. All our incomes depended on coconut trees, which were uprooted,” remarks Michelle Sister. She and her family received shelter materials and cash from the Red Cross to repair their home (shown in the background). The town’s water system was also damaged by the storm, so the Red Cross helped repair it.

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“Without the Red Cross, my house would still be bamboo. This wall would still be made of sacs and tarps,” remarks Janeth Verzosa from Paglaum, a town on the island of Leyte.

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Ian Ted Barquin, a Red Cross engineer, stands in front of newly-built homes in Resano, on the island of Leyte.

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Early warning systems can take many shapes and forms. In Peñalosa, community leaders have repurposed a gas canister into a bell and hung it in the center of town. It can be used to warn residents of evacuation orders, impending floods, or other emergencies. The Red Cross continues to help communities in the Philippines to prepare for disasters.

November 08, 2018

Five years ago today, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Philippines made landfall. Typhoon Haiyan took more than 6,000 lives on the island nation—destroying homes, bridges, schools, farms, and businesses in its wake. Red Cross teams started delivering aid in the immediate aftermath: helping save lives amongst the destruction.

Halfway around the globe, Americans responded to the tragedy by giving their money and time to help families in need. People generously donated more than $88 million to the American Red Cross (see a financial breakdown here), while others helped build digital maps of the disaster zone—enabling responders to find routes to deliver aid.

Initially, the Red Cross delivered relief in the form of food, water, medical care, and emergency shelter materials. Our teams launched a large cash-as-aid project that empowered families to make their own decisions about what items they needed most.

But disaster recovery is a marathon—not a sprint. For that reason, the American Red Cross has been working alongside the Philippines Red Cross to help communities build back stronger, healthier, and more resilient to future disasters. This includes constructing water systems and community evacuation centers, gifting seed money and business training to entrepreneurs, prepping communities for future disasters, and providing funds to help more than 14,000 families reconstruct or repair their homes.

Gratitude and Hope for the Future

“Without the Red Cross, my house would still be bamboo. This wall would still be made of sacs and tarps,” remarks Janeth Verzosa from Paglaum, a town on the island of Leyte. Janeth received corrugated metal sheets and funds to repair her home. She used the Red Cross funds to pay laborers and to purchase plywood, nails, tresses, cement to strengthen her foundation, and a latrine—which makes her safer and healthier. In addition to feeling more confident in her home next time a storm strikes, she’s also grateful for the work Red Cross is carrying out on a nearby canal: dredging and widening it. “I am comfortable knowing my family will be safe when it rains, instead of dealing with the flooding.”

In Aslum, a nearby village, Analisa Dolon stands proudly in front of a shelf of her soap products. Analisa and her neighbors were severely impacted by the super typhoon, but they are recovering with help from the American Red Cross. Analisa joined twenty of her neighbors to start this soap-making coop—where they produce laundry detergent, hand soap, toilet bowl cleaner, fabric softener, and shampoo. The Red Cross funded business training for the entrepreneurs, gave them seed money and supplies; and even built the structure that hosts their business. The members say they use the income for food and to reinvest in the business. When disasters hit, lower-income households are disproportionately affected. In the Philippines, the Red Cross is tackling poverty—and, in turn, promoting disaster resilience—head on, through livelihoods projects like this one.

Analisa—a mother of one—lost her home to Typhoon Haiyan, but she now lives in a studier, safer home, thanks to the Red Cross. She feels more confident in the face of storms these days, not just because of her home, but because of her business. “I remember after the storm, there was no soap. Everyone needed soap to stay clean and healthy, but none could be found. Now there is a lot of soap in this town,” she exclaims.

Not far away, Jesedel Maraya smiles in appreciation of donors’ impact on water and hygiene in his town. “Students are healthier now and attendance has risen,” exclaims Jesedel—a teacher at Peñalosa Elementary School. Red Cross staff train student leaders at the school to be advocates for health and hygiene. They, in turn, teach their fellow students about tooth brushing, hand washing, and germs in individual classes and then at an assembly. Thanks to the American Red Cross, the school has infrastructure in place to promote the hygiene lessons: a latrine and handwashing facility. The facilities serve more than 120 pupils and are available to community members during emergencies (since the school also serves as an evacuation center).

Disaster Relief is a Team Effort

When disasters strike, people around the world ask the same powerful question, “How can I help?” Thanks to the generous donors and supporters who pitched in after Typhoon Haiyan, families had the chance to survive and thrive after the tragedy. “If not for the Red Cross, we would not have a home,” said one resident, Myrna Cinco, with gratitude. And if not for the generous hearts of many, this work would not be possible.

A rich history—and future

The American Red Cross has a long and rich history of working with the Philippine Red Cross. In fact, the Philippine Red Cross was a chapter of the American Red Cross from 1905 until the country’s independence in 1946. When it became an independent Red Cross national society in 1947, we supported the young organization—turning over all Red Cross assets in the Philippines, sending technical advisors and providing funding to help it become firmly established. Since then, the American Red Cross has remained a loyal advocate and partner, sending financial and material resources, technical assistance and/or facilitating exchange visits on a regular basis. Even outside of Typhoon Haiyan recovery, the Philippines continues to be a focus of American Red Cross support.