Survivors still rebuilding lives a year after Typhoon Haiyan devastated Philippines

World Today

An artist paints the wall of a cemetery depicting the situation at the height of Super Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban City, in central Philippines on November 7, 2014, a day prior to the first year anniversary of the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan. Haiyan claimed more than 7,350 lives as it swept in off the Pacific Ocean, with its record winds and once-in-a-generation storm surges flattening entire towns. AFP PHOTO/Ted Aljibe

A year after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people and leaving many more missing, life has slowly returned to normal in the central city of Tacloban. But despite the hustle and bustle, memories of the violent storm are still on the minds of many.

Visiting the graveyard has become a daily routine for 50-year-old Evelyn Facturanan and her children. Facturanan lost her husband and 30 other relatives to the typhoon.

“After my husband was able to help me get on the rooftop, I asked him where my mother was. ‘Still downstairs,’ he said. So I told him to go get her. As soon as he turned around, the ocean surge came, and we all got separated,” she said.

Facturanan’s house, which she and her husband built from money they earned in large part from raising fish, was gone in an instant. She and her children now live in a smaller, more modest home.

“The effect on our lives is as strong as the typhoon itself. We lost our livelihood and I lost my partner in life. He would help even with household chores. He didn’t mind washing clothes and sweeping the floor. We had big dreams for our children. But how am I supposed to achieve them now I can barely manage our day-to-day expenses,” she said.

Facturanan’s story is just one of many. Despite some semblance of recovery, many families continue to suffer, particularly those still living in tents and those assigned temporary housing.

Fourteen-year old Shane, who did not give her last name, lives with her mother and siblings in one of these bunkhouses. Having a roof over their heads may be considered a blessing by those less fortunate, but it’s also severely changed Shane’s life.

Because her mother just gave birth and is unemployed, and her father is in prison, Shane said she had no choice but to accept what she described as “help” in exchange for sex.

“A lot of people say that I’ve changed. I feel like I’ve lost my worth, that I’ve thrown my life away because I’m not a virgin anymore,” she said.

Officials continue to work to rebuild the region, the second poorest in the Philippines.

“This is an opportunity of putting in place public services, economic alternatives, communication much better than it was before,” said Luiza Carvalho, United Nations resident coordinator.

CCTV America’s Barnaby Lo reported this story from Philippines.

There was a concerted global relief effort in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon and today, survivors continue to rely on help. But how are they faring? Lo continued his coverage from the Philippines by visiting the hard-hit Tacloban City.