Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines on November 7, leaving cataclysmic destruction in its wake, before heading north to Vietnam. With wind speeds of up to 315 km/h, it was classified as a Category 5 super typhoon, setting the record for the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall and the fourth most powerful observed to date.
The area most particularly affected by the storm was the province of Leyte, on Samar Island. Parts of its capital, Tacloban City, were completely washed away. The total number of confirmed fatalities sums to over 5,000 people, with an estimated 18,000 more injured. Billions of dollars worth of agriculture and infrastructure were destroyed in the Philippines, and surrounding countries such as China and Vietnam.
Foreign aid is coming from all parts of the globe in the form of supplies, aid personnel, and monetary donations, sometimes highlighting political tensions and competitiveness, especially in the cases of China, and the United States. Canada allocated an initial $5 million, with another $15 million for UN and Red Cross organizations as needed. In addition, the government pledged to match every dollar donated by its citizens to registered Canadian charities until December 9. Some members of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) were also deployed and will not return for a number of months. Their duties include providing clean water, medical assistance, and rescue work. Immigration applications and visa extensions from those personally affected by the events will also be prioritized and treated compassionately.
Many obstacles have been faced, however. The large amount of damage to the infrastructure had essentially shut down all utilities and systems in the area. Planes could not be operated in darkness, and supplies were not readily distributed due to closed airports. Hospitals were not operating at full capacity. With the sudden lack of life’s necessities, citizens became desperate and reports of violence and looting were widespread, especially in Tacloban City. Relief convoys were ambushed, rice warehouses raided and stores looted in acts of self-preservation. More casualties were sustained and the general health and well-being of the citizens was threatened. Military presence was increased as a result, and martial law was considered. Aside from the delivery of relief, clean-up and body recovery efforts had to be conducted, with body identifying for the thousands that were missing.
Climatologists and scientists attribute the remarkable force of the storm to climate change, an issue that many believe has yet to be addressed in a real way. At the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Filipino lead climate negotiator Yeb Saño declared a hunger strike in an attempt to push for meaningful results. He has since been joined by tens of other people, including American delegates and environmental organizations.
The rebuilding and recovery from such a disaster will take years. Thousands of Filipino citizens have lost their entire livelihoods, with no quick fix to regain what once was theirs. The psychological toll from such a loss will also need to be attended to in the long run. In the meantime, this and other similar occurrences have helped to spur discussions on the prevention of future catastrophes.
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