November 25, 2013; By Suzanne Charest, Communications Director CARE Canada
When Typhoon Haiyan’s 16-foot storm surge crashed into this seaside neighborhood in Tacloban, a group of 300 neighbors clung to a rope atop a roof. When it was over, only three houses were left standing in the seafront area.
Homes are now giant heaps of twisted rubble. In the sweltering noon sun, dozens of people now work hard, pulling out pieces of reusable metal and hauling away the garbage. A smiling girl pushes a plastic cart past men struggling to lift pieces of concrete. A small boy finds a plastic guitar and starts playing with it. The smell of smoke and rotting fruit from the market fills the air.
“I was away when the typhoon hit and returned to find my house is and shop totally flattened,” said Frank Faluguera, as he sifted through the rubble. “Now all I can do is salvage bits of metal. It will take such a long time and try to get back to normal. What I need are the materials to rebuild my home again.”
CARE’s shelter and reconstruction advisor, Gabriel Fernandez del Pino, is impressed by the rapid progress in Tacloban in the last two weeks. “You can feel the spirit of resiliency and recovery. In spite of everything they have lost, the people smile and work to rebuild.”
CARE and its local partner ACCORD have targeted this neighborhood for the distribution of shelter kits to 180 families. The kits are part of a shipment of relief goods provided by the Canadian government. They include nails, hammer, shovels, handsaws and other material – the type of tools people like Frank need.
Only when Frank’s house is rebuilt, will his wife and two young sons return from staying with relatives in Samar. That could be weeks, if not months away. He misses them greatly.
Read more about CARE's emergency response in the Philippines
About CARE: CARE has worked in the Philippines since 1949, providing emergency relief when disaster strikes and helping communities prepare for disasters. CARE's past responses in the Philippines have included Typhoon Bopha in 2012 and Typhoon Ketsana in 2009. Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE has more than six decades of experience delivering emergency aid during times of crisis. Our emergency responses focus on the needs of the most vulnerable populations, particularly girls and women. Last year CARE worked in 84 countries and reached more than 83 million people around the world.