Three years later, Typhoon Haiyan survivors continue to rebuild

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Students demonstrate proper hand washing steps during a Global Handwashing Day celebration in October 15 on the island of Leyte – an area hit hard by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Thyjiacinth Ylla Mavourneen De Ocampo/Philippines Red Cross

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Nilda Alentejo purchased a gold and black Singer sewing machine with the recent cash grant she received from the Red Cross. She took a dressmaking course from the Red Cross and has started sewing items to sell nearby. With her new tailoring business, Nilda can now give pocket money for her son to go to school and she often uses her new skills to make and tailor her son’s uniform.

Thyjiacinth Ylla Mavourneen De Ocampo/Philippines Red Cross

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Rosario Catindoy lost her home and her way of earning income when Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013. She and her son now live in a half-concrete shelter built with funds from the Red Cross. Rosario started growing vegetables again and has planted flowers in front of her new home. At the back of her house, she raises pigs that she bought with a cash grant from the Red Cross.

Thyjiacinth Ylla Mavourneen De Ocampo/Philippines Red Cross

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Every month, Red Cross volunteers help weigh children ages 0-10, as part of its community-based health program. This activity helps monitor and identify malnourished children, as part of a larger community health program being implemented by the Red Cross.

Thyjiacinth Ylla Mavourneen De Ocampo/Philippines Red Cross

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Joseph Besmanos hold one of the 500+ watermelons he and his wife grew in their garden this year, thanks to the garden tool kits and seedlings they received from the Red Cross. The couple was able to harvest and sell their watermelon crop -- and even give away watermelons to neighbors in need.

Thyjiacinth Ylla Mavourneen De Ocampo/Philippines Red Cross

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Volunteers pump a newly-built water system for three hours to eliminate sand below and guarantee there is no water discoloration. Residents will use this pump for a variety of daily activities, including hydrating livestock and laundry. All handpumps undergo this process to ensure water will not run dry even opon continuous pumping.

Thyjiacinth Ylla Mavourneen De Ocampo/Philippines Red Cross

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Community members in the town of Oguisan gather in front of a newly-constructed water system they built together with the Red Cross. The community used to have only one faucet for 44 households, but now they have seven new tap stands. It takes more than two hours of trekking steep hillsides and crossing rivers to reach Oguisan from the nearest road.

Thyjiacinth Ylla Mavourneen De Ocampo/Philippines Red Cross

November 08, 2016

Typhoon Haiyan was the largest storm to strike the Philippines in recorded history. It wreaked havoc on families, schools, businesses, and homes in November 2013, but its effects are still being felt today: three years since the storm passed. The global Red Cross network—including the American Red Cross—has been working together to help people recover and rebuild. We distributed lifesaving relief in the storm’s immediate aftermath—such as food, water, medical care, and shelter materials—and continue helping families today.

Over the past three years, the American Red Cross has distributed cash grants to more than 63,850 people, repaired schools, invested in businesses, helped support safer shelter for more than 13,000 households, and improved living conditions for more than 80,000 men, women and children in the affected area. We are still in the Philippines, empowering people in the wake of the devastating typhoon.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.