Typhoon Haiyan survivors: what they saved in the storm – in pictures | Global development | The GuardianTyphoon Haiyan survivors: what they saved in the storm – in pictures | Global development | The Guardian










Close






Skip to main content

 









sign in








subscribe









search




jobs






more


from the guardian:


jobs


change edition:



switch to the UK edition


switch to the AU edition







US edition




switch to the UK edition




switch to the Australia edition













The Guardian


Winner of the Pulitzer prize











home


›
environment


›
development




cities










home




US




world




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment
selected







browse all sections
close







 











Global development



Typhoon Haiyan survivors: what they saved in the storm – in pictures









To mark the first anniversary of typhoon Haiyan, the Catholic aid agency Cafod visited survivors in the Philippines. These images, taken by Lukasz Cholewiak, show the few precious things they were able to save












Guardian Global development is supported by:

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation




Friday 7 November 2014 05.13 EST







Share on Facebook







Share on Twitter







Share via Email







Share on Pinterest







Share on Google+







Share on WhatsApp



























Flora, 39 – my children’s birth certificatesFlora lives by the coast in Guiuan, the first place hit by the typhoon. As waves flooded the village, her home was washed away. Flora managed to save her children’s birth certificates. ‘They’re important because my children can’t register for school without them,’ she explains


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close

















John Manuel, 15 – my dog, BrunoAs John’s siblings fled their home on the island of Panay, he stayed to save Bruno. It was lucky for his neighbour, who is partly paralysed, that he did. John saved him by keeping his head above water. He says: ‘I just held him, even when he passed out. I was crying and praying. Then my dad came back. He saved us’ 


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close

















Romila, 37 – a towelWhen the typhoon hit, Romila, who was eight months pregnant, raced to the local church with her husband. As they took shelter, their home began to collapse. ‘It was very difficult to run. My stomach was bulging,’ she says. ‘We had to leave everything behind. The only thing I could take was a towel, which I used to cover my head’


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close

















Leejohn, five – my toysThanks to his grandmother, Leejohn still had toys to play with after the storm. She had wrapped them in a plastic bag. After the roof of the house fell in, rain poured in and floodwater flowed under the door. ‘Our hearts were racing,’ says Leejohn’s grandfather. ‘If the flood had come much higher we would have died’


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close







 












Leopoldo, 66 – a tin of riceAfter taking his family over a river to higher ground, Leopoldo returned home for a tin of rice. But as he recrossed the bridge, he was knocked over by a wave. ‘I nearly drowned,’ he says. ‘But I was able to grab a branch. I managed to pull myself up to the road.’ He held on to the tin, but the soaking rice was unusable 


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close

















Amalia, 83 – a Minnie Mouse bag  Amalia and her son sheltered at home before having to flee. ‘I thought typhoon Yolanda [as it was called locally] would be like other typhoons, but it was like four in one,’ Amalia says. ‘When I fled our home, I took a small bag, with Minnie Mouse on the front. I grabbed it in a panic and stuffed it with clothes’ 


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close

















Corazon, 71 – my rosary As her home on Leyte island fell down, Corazon clung to a rosary. ‘I thought it was the end. All I did was pray with my rosary,’ she says. ‘I was injured and I felt numb. I was trapped underneath the debris. My nephews pulled me out and carried me away. I wasn’t able to walk because I was shaking and trembling’


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close

















Ronald, 34 – my wife, Maria Gracia The night before the storm stuck, Ronald had taken his wife, Maria Gracia, to hospital on Leyte island. Early in the morning, the hospital roof was blown off. As he carried her away, her feet became caught in a mosquito net. He dived under the water to free her and then took her safely to the next building


Facebook


Twitter


Pinterest



expand




Share




Share this post


Facebook




Twitter




Pinterest




close







 




Topics



Philippines




Typhoon Haiyan




Natural disasters and extreme weather















More galleries








 






more on this story














Philippines starts evacuations as typhoon Hagupit heads for Haiyan-hit areas

Army and coastguard braced for possible landslides and flash floods in central Philippines as storm builds strength over Pacific



Published: 4 Dec 2014




Philippines starts evacuations as typhoon Hagupit heads for Haiyan-hit areas












Mentally ill people found chained by families and left to die after typhoon Haiyan – video

Local organisations are shocked at the treatment of family members with mental illness, discovered in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan



Published: 6 Nov 2014




Mentally ill people found chained by families and left to die after typhoon Haiyan – video












Tindog Tacloban: the mayor of a town rising up from Typhoon Haiyan - video

With exclusive access to Tacloban's mayor, Tindog Tacloban follows three Filipinos as they try, 10 days after Haiyan, to piece together their lives and make sense of the world they once knew



Published: 7 Feb 2014




Tindog Tacloban: the mayor of a town rising up from Typhoon Haiyan - video












Philippe Lopez’s best photograph: a procession after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines

‘I didn’t want to interrupt. They were thanking God no one in their village had died’



Published: 4 Dec 2014




Philippe Lopez’s best photograph: a procession after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines














Typhoon Haiyan: the city of Tacloban one year on - interactive




Published: 7 Nov 2014




Typhoon Haiyan: the city of Tacloban one year on - interactive








Typhoon Haiyan: millions of lives still blighted one year on




Published: 7 Nov 2014




Typhoon Haiyan: millions of lives still blighted one year on
















popular







 








The Guardian






back to top














home




US




world




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment
selected







all sections
close







home




US




world




UK




europe




americas




asia




middle east




africa




australia






opinion




sports




soccer




MLS




NFL




MLB




NBA




NHL






soccer




live scores




tables




competitions




results




fixtures




clubs






tech




games






arts




movies




tv & radio




music




books




art & design




stage




classical






lifestyle




food




health




love & sex




family




women




home & garden






fashion




business




markets




companies






money




travel




USA




europe




UK






environment
selected




development
selected




cities






science




media




crosswords




video











Environment




›
Development




›
Philippines








jobs

subscribe
all topics
all contributors

info and resources

contact us

feedback

complaints & corrections
terms & conditions
privacy policy
cookie policy
securedrop


© 2015 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.






















 
