Zaira, 7, enjoys playing with other children in the Sapang Bayan evacuaton centre after floods stuck her village in August 2013. Zaira joins the childrenís support programme run by Red Cross volunteers in the evacuation centre.
Numbers can be pretty overwhelming in a place like the Philippines. A country with a population of some 100 million people, the Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, and an average of 20 typhoons make landfall every year.
This year, the Philippines has been hit by a number of extreme weather events. Typhoon Utor slammed into Luzon Island on 12 August, damaging more than 21,000 homes, and just last week, flooding in the capital Manila and surrounding provinces caused 800,000 people to flee their homes and seek temporary shelter in evacuation centres or with family and friends. Over 2.9 million people have been impacted – like I said, numbers can be overwhelming. For me, the reality of the statistics is in the stories of the individuals who I have met this week, those whose lives have been directly affected.
Shane, 21, recounted to me her fear of being pulled away by strong currents of waist-deep flood water while trying to make it to the evacuation centre in Aplaya, Laguna Province. It sounded terrifying. She is now sharing a small classroom with her family and around 70 other people until it is safe to return home. Shane talked to me about how overcrowded the evacuation centre was, how difficult it is to sleep at night and how her family does not have a source of income while they are in the evacuation centre.
In Bulacan Province, Cora told me with tears in her eyes, how distressed she felt as she and her six children watched a massive tree fall and destroy their home. The tree collapsed after torrential rain eroded the soil around its roots. Cora was warned by her neighbour just minutes before the tree fell and explained how relieved she was that all her children were safe. She and her husband Segundo now have the enormous task of clearing the rubble from their property before they can begin to rebuild. This will take time and they will need support, as Segundo will have no source of income while he works to rebuild their house.
Then there is 79-year-old Carmen, who fled to the basketball stadium which is now being used as an evacuation centre in Sapang Bayan, Bulacan Province. She escaped with her three children and 14 grandchildren. She spoke to me about how sick and wretched she felt after fleeing the floods and coping with life in the evacuation centre. With a slender elderly frame, I don’t imagine Carmen will be getting much sleep at night on the hard concrete floor.
I also met Carmen’s granddaughter, Zaira, while she was participating in a Red Cross kids programme, drawing a picture of her family during the floods. She told me how scared she was walking through the flood water and how her family was only able to grab a few clothes before coming to the evacuation centre. She said she was finding it hard to sleep, but she enjoyed playing with the other children.
And then there are the staff and volunteers from the Philippine Red Cross, who have worked tirelessly on responding to the needs of affected families. Tess Escartin, the Philippine Red Cross health and social services coordinator for Bulacan Province, explained to me that ten community-based volunteers in Bulacan Province themselves had to flee their homes to the evacuation centre. They have been working every day since to support their community through Red Cross activities. It is this humanitarian spirit that has enabled the Red Cross to reach tens of thousands of people in the Philippines with support in their time of need.
