Typhoon Haiyan: Briton Helps Families To SafetyTyphoon Haiyan: Briton Helps Families To Safety


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Typhoon Haiyan: Briton Helps Families To Safety

Jonathan Fitzpatrick's mother tells Sky News her son was "just working on his human instinct" when he helped children to safety.


14:33, UK, 
Monday 11
November 2013











Jonathan Fitzpatrick was in Ormoc when the typhoon struck  Pic: Facebook










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By Sunita Patel-Carstairs, Online Producer
A British man caught up in Typhoon Haiyan has told his family he kicked down doors in his battered hotel to help children and adults escape to safety.

Jonathan Fitzpatrick and four work colleagues initially barricaded themselves in a room when the powerful storm struck the Philippines on Thursday.
They then braved the powerful winds to help others, including families, break out of their rooms and take shelter in a stairwell at the Ormoc Villa Hotel in the city of Ormoc.




The typhoon is believed to have claimed the lives of 10,000 people

Mr Fitzpatrick, who travelled out to the islands in October to work, had lost his mobile phone a fortnight ago, but managed to contact his family via Skype when the typhoon struck.
"It was a frightening experience for him - and for us," his mother Julie told Sky News.

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Gallery: Faces Of Storm's Brutal Aftermath
A man surveys felled trees in an area devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in Palo township.











































































































































































































































"We knew it was a serious typhoon that was headed their way so we didn't know what to expect."
The call was cut off and Mr Fitzpatrick's family did not hear from him again until Saturday morning, when the 23-year-old engineer from Walsall managed to get hold of a phone and sent a text message to his mother and girlfriend to let them know he was safe.
As the typhoon ripped through the Philippines, killing thousands of people, his sister Rachel tweeted: "My brother is in Ormoc Villa hotel, next door to Ormoc Red Cross. His name is Jonathan Fitzpatrick. Please help us find him."








Play video "Locals 'Nonchalant' Before Typhoon"










Video:
Locals 'Nonchalant' Before Typhoon


Mrs Fitzpatrick played down her son's heroics and insisted he did what anyone else would have done in his position.
"Jonathan has walked away from it. There are a lot of people who haven't," she said.
"He was not a hero, just working on his human instinct. In his eyes he has not done anything heroic, he has done normal things.

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Gallery: Aerial Shots
These aerial photos of the Philippines show the devastation left behind after Super Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the country. Click through for more images.












































































"The real heroes are the people out there sorting out this mess now, providing care, food and water."
After the strong winds subsided, Mr Fitzpatrick and his workmates managed to get a ferry to Cebu where they were said to be waiting for arrangements to be made to get them home.
Mrs Fitzpatrick added: "We've been through a terrible experience and are glad he has survived and come out of it safely."








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Video:
Looting Fears As Aid Effort Falters


  Related Stories  Typhoon Haiyan Devastation: New Storm On Way  Typhoon Haiyan: Locals 'Were Not Worried'  Typhoon Survivor: Tell My Family I'm Alive 








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