
	Philippines rising: A town full of hope	
	Philippines rising: A town full of hope	



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Previous Next 

Philippines rising: One year after Haiyan – A town full of hope


By Caritas Internationalis|31 October 2014|Asia, Conflicts and Disasters, Emergencies, Emergencies in the Philippines, Philippines| 


This page is also available in: French, SpanishI was in Tanuaun in November 2013, just three weeks after the town was hit by Typhoon Haiyan. People I met kept trying to describe the disaster. They talked about the wind – so loud that they couldn’t hear themselves shouting. They talked about the storm surge – a 19-foot wall of water that swept inland, carrying trees and upturned cars into the wreckage of people’s homes.
Most of all, they talked about the destruction immediately after the typhoon: the dead bodies on the streets, the buildings damaged beyond recognition, the horror of realising that everything they owned had been swept away.
By the time I arrived, aid agencies like Caritas were doing everything they could to help people cope, providing emergency shelter, food, clean water and essential household supplies. But the scenes around Tanuaun were still shocking.
The grounds of Assumption Academy in Tanuaun became a camp for people who had lost their homes. One year on, the tents have gone, and children are playing on the land, which is now a basketball court. Photo by Lukasz Cholewiak/Caritas
Mass grave
I remember visiting the area in front of Assumption Academy. The school itself had been badly damaged. Its grounds were overflowing with tents, each occupied by a family whose home had been destroyed. Just a hundred metres away, through a gate, was a mass grave holding 1,000 dead bodies.
Coming back to the school, ten months on, is an emotional experience. The transformation is remarkable. The tents have gone, and children are playing on the land, which is, I now realise, a basketball court.
I learn that the last of the families left in early July, moving into wooden shelters provided by the local Church. In the longer term, the Filipino government plans to resettle them in permanent homes further from the sea: it’s too risky for them to live where they used to, in the 40-metre “danger zone” by the coast.
New classrooms
Amazingly, considering the scale of the damage, the school itself has re-opened. Its roof has been repaired, its classrooms restored.
Assumption Academy, Tanuaun. The school itself had been badly damaged by the typhoon, and its grounds became a camp for people who had lost their homes, supported by CRS. Photo by Lukasz Cholewiak/Caritas
We meet Sister Maria, the Principal, who shows us round. There are new desks, new chairs, new books, even a room full of brand new computers. When we walk into each class, the students leap to their feet, chanting “Good morning Sister and visitors”, often before collapsing into giggles.
From the first floor, Sister Maria shows us the mass grave. The land is still barren, but there are plans to build a memorial there. I’m struck again by how terrible the scenes must have been after the typhoon: what was it like for people to find the bodies of their loved ones, and to see everything they owned washed away?
The statue that survived
Outside, by the basketball court, Sister Mary shows us the statue of Our Lady of the Assumption. The last time I was here, there was a water bladder just in front the statue – it looked like a sort of yellow bouncy castle, and Caritas as working to ensure that it was filled with clean drinking water every day. With pipelines destroyed by the typhoon, hundreds of people relied on the bladder for safe water supplies.
Today, the water bladder is gone. In its place is a wooden stage, which was built for a festival in August. “We had a fiesta,” says Sister Mary. “We wanted to celebrate. We were so happy to be alive.”
Given the carnage all around, Sister Mary is struck by the fact that the statue survived the typhoon.
“The statue of the Virgin Mother was not even scratched,” she says. “We didn’t need to give the angels at the bottom new ears or new noses. Why did the statue survive?” She turns to the statue. “Mama Mary, thank you for watching over the school.”
The Statue of Our Lady of the Assumption survived the typhoon. Photo by Lukasz Cholewiak/Caritas
The town’s pipelines are now up-and-running again, and the emergency project supplying water here has come to an end. But we plan to work on providing a water supply in the school, helping Sister Mary to provide facilities for the children to wash their hands during the school day.
A better day
Across the Philippines, we are also working with our partners to build thousands of permanent homes, to help people who lost everything to make a living again, and to ensure that communities are better prepared for future disasters.
There is still a huge amount to do, and it will take years for Tanuaun and other towns on Leyte island to return to normal. But the changes in just under a year are remarkable – a testament to the extraordinary determination of the people who live here.
Sister Mary asks me to pass on a message to the Catholics who donated money so generously.
“Slowly we’re able to accept and rebuild,” she says. “Slowly we put our strength together. The strength is from the people who helped us. You were able to encourage us to move on. Every month we have a Mass, and we pray for you. We pray for you all, and we also pray for all those who perished during the typhoon.”
On the stage, by the statue, there is a sign: “Each new day is a better day in Tanuaun.” Ten months on from catastrophe, this appears to be true. The town seems full of hope.
 

Our coverage of other Caritas work:


Philippines rising: One year after Haiyan – Ronald’s story

Philippines rising: One year after Haiyan – Flora’s story

Philippines rising: One year after Haiyan – A new house for Amalia

Philippines rising: One year after Haiyan




About the Author: Caritas Internationalis


 

						Caritas Internationalis is the global confederation of 164 Catholic organisations working on behalf of the poor. It is the arm through which the Church delivers its moral mission to help the most vulnerable and excluded people, whatever their religion or race.					





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