Day 10: Island of Leyte, still recovering from Typhoon Yolanda

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), considered the most powerful storm to make landfall in recorded history, struck the Philippines. Yolanda affected 1,473,251 families, with a casualty count of 6,300.

I first visited the island of Leyte in early 2015, a year and a half after the deadly typhoon struck. In the town of Tacloban, there was still tons of debris and destruction. My friends showed me how high the waters had been. Their mother was killed by a falling tree.

Now, nearly 3 years after the natural disaster, there are still signs of destruction, but also a lot of rebuilding. The U.S. government donated nearly $100 million in relief aid. One of the most visible contribution is the USAID-constructed sari-sari shops, small mom-and-pop variety stores, which are the backbone of the local economy. In fact, my friend owns one, but it wasn't built by USAID.

Debrah and I went first to the auntie's house. She now has a small refrigerator to sell cold drinks, which she bought with a monthly allowance I send her. Then we went together to visit her little sister who has the new baby with her new boyfriend. They live with her father in a shack he built from the tin roof of his house that was destroyed in the typhoon. His wife also died.

We got the bus back to Ormoc to take a fast boat, just three hours, back to Cebu City, so I could fly the next day to Manila.

The boat arrived at 4 a.m., but they let us rest on the boat until 6 a.m. Then we went to a nice hotel, ate breakfast and used the wifi before catching the bus to Tacloban, 3 hours away.

Destruction from Typhoon Yolanda is still evident along the way.

These guys definitely don't have to go to the gym to work out and get in shape.

One of thousands of Sari-Sari shops funded by USAID, in addition to business training.

Korea helped build this school after the typhoon.

I asked if the Pope was funding this housing project, but they said no. They just honored him by naming it after Pope Francis. He visited Tacloban 6 months after the typhoon.

Another USAID sari-sari shop.

Josephine's oldest daughter and granddaughter.

Josephine and her grandson.

Jona, one of Josephine's daughters

Canned goods for sale in Josephine's sari-sari shop.

The grandson peeks out of their house.

The whole family minus one camera-shy son.

I look like an Amazon next to my Filipino friends.

Debrah met a friend from Mindanao who is volunteering in Tacloban as a sports coach for kids affected by the typhoon.

Taking a jeepney to Alang-Alang to visit Josephine's younger sister.

Josephine's father lives in a shack on this hilltop. We had to walk beside rice fields to get there.

The baby was one day shy of a month old. He looks very handsome and healthy.

The baby's father was hanging clothes when we arrived. Of course, I was impressed.

"Still Perfect After All These Years." Josephine and Fe's father is now 79 years old. 

The proud family. Surprisingly, Fe is about 6 years older than her boyfriend, although she looks much younger than 30.

Happy to hold a baby again.

Six on a habal-habal (baby in arms of the woman in back).