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A vibrant city

Interview: Esther Felden / sdmNovember 6, 2014

From the boat, right into disaster - this is how CARE employee Sandra Bulling described her experiences in the Philippine city of Tacloban shortly after Typhoon Haiyan struck. Now she's back and shares her views with DW.

https://p.dw.com/p/1DiaI
Philippinen Ein Jahr nach dem Taifun Haiyan
Image: CARE/Mario Ignacio

DW: You were in the Philippines working for the humanitarian aid organization CARE right after Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the archipelago on November 8 of last year. You have now returned to the area. What has changed since last year?

Sandra Bulling: I must say that I was really surprised when I got off the plane. The city center looks like a normal city would: there are shops, the markets are full of people, there are restaurants everywhere and I even saw a karaoke bar. Tacloban is vibrant city and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that one of the worst storms on record swept through it a year ago.

How do you explain the speed of the reconstruction?

People tackled the problem immediately: there was this incredible will to rebuild a life and to help each other. They addressed the problem jointly. The villagers helped the poorest people first and then moved on to others. I believe this is one of the factors which led to a relatively fast reconstruction in the last twelve months.

Sandra Bulling
Bulling: 'If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that one of the worst storms on record swept through Tacloban a year ago'Image: CARE

About 95,000 families in the region still live in shelters or huts, but the majority of the city – as far as I can see – has been rebuilt. I believe that it actually has something to do with the strength of the Filipino people. When I was there after the storm, I saw people trying to clear the streets and men on rooftops with hammers. There were long lines in the few open stores– especially the ones that sold nails and construction material.

The stage of emergency relief is over. What role do aid organizations play today?

Aid organizations gave families money to cover construction costs, pay for materials and even showed them how to rebuild their houses so that they wouldn't collapse in another big storm.

The next stage - which CARE will accompany on the ground for two more years - is about making sure that people are earning money again. Many have lost their shops and fishermen have lost their boats - people can't make money, at least not how they used to. So far, we have spent half of our donations on emergency relief and the reconstruction of houses. In the next two years, we want to ensure that the people we are working with are back on their feet.

How much has your organization received in donations?

Globally, we managed to raise 27 million USD. We had originally planned to raise 30 million USD, so we're three million short. Long term aid is very important. Of course it is hard to raise money, because most people donate right after the catastrophe hits – which is understandable. We need these funds to finance the entire period of time we are in the country. So, we're continuing our efforts to raise the remaining three million USD.

You said the houses have been better built this time around. Do you think people are better prepared to handle another storm?

There is no such thing as a completely storm-safe house, especially in a country like the Philippines. The typhoon has already decimated one of the poorest regions in the country. For example, people just don't have the money to build stone houses. We try to provide homes that are slightly more secure, so they don't collapse when the next storm hits.

At the same time, CARE is working with partner organizations and communities to implement screening preventions. Many important issues have been discussed. For example: we discussed the best practices in terms of how to evacuate, when to evaure, where to evacuate to, how to save properties and where to store things so that they wouldn't be destroyed by water. These small measures can really help people.

Of course, civil protection is also an important part of the government which did a great job when it brought nearly 800,000 people to safety before the typhoon hit. Otherwise, the number of victims would have probably been a lot higher. But – and this is very important - people are now much more aware of tropical storms and typhoons. Many people have told me that they didn't evacuate because they simply didn't think the storm was going to be so strong. I think many people now would be more willing to evacuate.

Philippinen Ein Jahr nach dem Taifun Haiyan
Filipino people faced the destruction immediately: there was this incredible will to rebuild a life and to help each other after the storm, says BullingImage: John Javellana/CARE

A year ago, in the midst of the chaos and destruction, a baby was born on the steps of a Tacloban church. The little girl was then baptized and given the name Yolanda, which was also the name of the typhoon. How is she doing?

Yolanda is doing well. She is a hilarious and lively little girl. Her family had a very difficult time. They were very poor people who lost their house. Her father was only able to find day-labor work. After Yolanda was born, they left the island and looked for work elsewhere. However, after temporally staying with relatives, they moved back to Tacloban and built a new house directly where the old one stood.

Her father now has a job as a truck driver. Although his income is low, he is now able to provide for his family again. Her mother told me that although they live within their modest means, they all feel very lucky. All three children and the parents survived, and for that they are very grateful.

Sandra Bulling is a media and communications coordinator at CARE International and was in Tacloban shorty after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the city.