Remembering Super Typhoon Yolanda

November 7, 2013. Ten years ago today, Super Typhoon Yolanda (aka Haiyan) lashed out at the Philippines so violently like a woman scorned. Super Typhoon Yolanda, perhaps the deadliest typhoon to have landed in the Philippines, accounted for at least 6,300 deaths (for some weird reason concerning global disaster governance, Philippine authorities decided to stop counting deaths when told that the fatalities could reach the 10,000 mark easily); plus total damages and losses estimated at a whopping PHP 571.1 billion (USD 12.9 billion).

For heavily affected areas such as the provinces of Leyte and Samar, it would take years for the people to recover. Recover perhaps, but not forget. Typhoon Yolanda will forever be etched in our memories for the tragedies it brought to us. Entire families were lost, with thousands more missing and never to be seen again. Thousands of houses were damaged, if not totally destroyed, forcing the introduction of new housing laws. The distinct stench of death would engulf large areas in the city of Tacloban and the neighboring towns. There was pain, fear and a feeling of hopelessness, as government would fail to respond immediately.

But slowly, there would be a global response. As news of the huge tragedy hit the streets, people from all over the world began to respond in kind. Sending a glimmer of hope to the millions of victims.

Today, we pay tribute to the thousands who died, and the thousands more who suffered the pain of being left behind in a chaotic environment. I shall start a series of articles on super Typhoon Yolanda, its wrath, its tragic tales, its lessons, and its new dawn.

Today’s story – A Survivor’s Story – is about a young soldier and how he survived, along with a young boy he saved. Please click on the link: https://cbholganza.com/2013/11/11/a-survivors-story/

Cover photos courtesy of Earth Magazine, Panahon TV, JW.org.