The first anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated parts of the Philippines last November, has been marked with thanksgiving for all those who donated money, goods, skills and expertise to help the Divine Word Missionaries mount one of their biggest ever disaster relief efforts in the country.

A report prepared for the anniversary by the Provincial, Fr Eduardo Rocha SVD and the team, outlines how the SVD helped people to get back on their feet after their homes, livelihoods and communities were wiped out by the super typhoon.

Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever to make landfall, hit Eastern Samar on November 8, 2013 and then slashed into the mid-section of the country, crashing into everything that came in its path, all the way to the western corridor in the islands of Palawan.

“It was so fierce, that even a year after, thousands and thousands of survivors still recall the calamity with horror and depression,” says the report.

“It claimed so many lives, destroyed vast farms, houses, infrastructure, and everything else, without mercy. In the aftermath, the people didn’t have food to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear and homes to live in, amidst the indescribable pain of losing family members.”

A year later, Fr Eduardo says that “despite so much destruction and pain, we still have many blessings to count on”.

“We give thanks for the life spared from destruction, the so many generous people who came rushing to give food, clothing, medicines, water, housing and rebuilding materials, school supplies, seedlings to replant, and livelihood materials.

“We also thank all those who keep on asking: ‘what else can we do?’ In areas hard hit by Haiyan, hope re-blossomed and most of the people have moved on.”

The SVD played a huge role in the recovery effort, beginning with immediate relief, such as providing temporary shelters and food, and continuing on into the more long-term rehabilitation of helping people to restore their livelihoods.

The biggest role of the SVD was to provide building materials for people to construct new shelter.

“The latest count of houses we assisted to build is 5,500,” the report says.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster the Divine Word Missionaries launched an enormous relief effort, transporting truckloads of relief goods to far flung areas in Leyte and Northern Cebu, crossing rough seas, on congested cargo ships, and involving scores of volunteers.

“The packages we delivered consisted of different kinds of things including rice, canned goods, clothing, blankets, sugar, beans, kitchen utensils, tents, potable water, sugar, coffee and other goods,” Fr Eduardo says in the report.

“Other sources of support for the relief operations were in the form of cash. Donors and benefactors, groups and individuals, local and international, institutional or otherwise, all responded in haste to remit their financial aid to the cause.”

The Australian Province of the SVD launched a special appeal, and thanks to the generosity of donors, was able to send a substantial donation to assist the recovery effort.

“The donations were used to buy much needed basic commodities to supplement other goods shipped to our operation centre,” Fr Eduardo says. Some cash donations were used for transportation expenses, food for volunteers and repacking materials. The total number of packages distributed was 27,294, distributed in several batches to many very needy locations.”

Following the initial relief phase, the SVD began helping people to rebuild their lives. This included helping children get back to school by providing them with learning materials such as notebooks, pens, school bags, shoes and school uniforms. Other academic assistance took the form of school building construction and repairs, settling of unpaid school fees, provision of school equipment, a monthly allowance for very poor children who attend school without meals, and re-equipping laboratories and libraries.

Livelihood programs were a big part of the long-term recovery effort.

“The people lost their farms, fishing implements, small businesses, and whatever means of living they used to have,” the report says. “They need a source of income to sustain their lives.

“In reponse, the SVDs and their collaborators instituted livelihood programs to selected (hardest-hit) communities in Tacloban City and Ormoc City in Leyte, and Bantayan Island in Cebu.”

In the village of San Jose, near the airport in Tacloban, the SVD distributed 125 fishing boats and 50 tricycles to the people. In some places, planting materials like seeds, farm implements and micro capital were distributed to thousands of farmers.

Fr Eduardo thanked all who donated to help the people affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

“Straight from our hearts, we sincerely thank each and every one – donors, benefactors and volunteers - for your generosity! God bless everyone!”