Tacloban, Philippines, and Super Typhoon Haiyan

Tacloban, Philippines, and Super Typhoon Haiyan

On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) swept across the Philippines, generating a storm surge of more than 5 meters in places and winds in excess of 190 mph. Fifteen million people felt the effects of the storm directly. Across the nation, approximately 4.1 million people were displaced from their homes, and more than 6,000 lost their lives. This made Haiyan the deadliest storm recorded in the Philippines. The nature of the storm itself, the geology and geography of the Philippine Islands, as well the population distribution and economics of the people living in the affected communities all contributed to the severity of the impact of Haiyan on communities. What made Tacloban so vulnerable? We can break it down into the components of vulnerability to understand this,

Exposure

Tacloban City is densely populated with more than 240,000 residents, many of whom are poor. Much of the city sits at low elevation, with many parts, including the airport, sitting below 5 meters above sea level. The storm surge was reported to be more than 5 meters (16 feet) in height. Population density, at 1200 people per square km, or about 3,000 per square mile makes for a densely populated urban area. The Philippines is highly prone to typhoon activity, with twenty tropical cyclones crossing the island chain per year on average, with ten of those reaching typhoon status, and five of these causing major destruction. These factors render the Tacloban city highly exposed to typhoon hazards.

To appreciate the level of destruction and conditions in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon in Tacloban City and some of the factors that combined to create such levels, please read the two articles (BBC and New York Times) linked below. In the BBC article, there is a short video that really helps to bring to life the misery following a catastrophe such as this of a densely populated city such as Tacloban.

Body Bags in Tacloban after Haiyan

Credit: ymphotos via Shutterstock

Devastation after Haiyan – November 2013.

Credit: ymphotos via Shutterstock

Sensitivity

Remember that by using the term sensitivity, we are referring to such measures as poverty levels and the state of infrastructure. Because Tacloban was essentially destroyed by Haiyan, everyone in the city was impacted (see maps in linked articles). But the high level of poverty that exists in the Philippines accentuated and increased the scale of suffering. According to the Humanitarian Practice Network, the Philippines ranked 165th in world GDP in 2013, and approximately 2 million people in the country were living on $2 per day. Tacloban is a relatively wealthy city within the Philippines, so this rate of poverty is not as severe in the city as some parts of the Philippines. However, even though the government had a relatively good typhoon preparation program in place, poverty levels, coupled with the sheer size of the storm, rendered preparations ineffective. Houses were not designed for the power of the storm surge and winds and were completely destroyed, leaving people homeless. The sensitivity of the low-lying infrastructure of the airport is another case in point. It sits close to sea level and was overwhelmed by the storm surge. Of course, an airport in an island nation is essential for disaster relief, so this hampered relief from reaching the stricken city immediately following the storm. It was three days before flights could land with relief supplies, and even then, only small planes could land. This led to a lack of basic supplies such as food and water for the residents. Long lines formed for scarce supplies. Refer to the BBC article in the readings linked below, which describes in detail the scenes of deprivation that ensued in the days following the typhoon. In addition, not only were roads and other transportation routes blocked, there would have been no working electricity or modern methods of communication in the aftermath of such a huge storm.

Adaptive Capacity

The poor are at a disadvantage when it comes to recovery. Those with financial means are more able to get back on their feet or bounce back from a disaster than those with few financial means. Many of those who lost livelihoods to Haiyan worked in the fishing industry and were poor. Two major elements worked to help the people of Tacloban and other communities devastated by Haiyan. One is the strong community networks that are so important, in which community members and families help each other. The other is aid from domestic and foreign governments and non-governmental organizations.

Currently, after nearly one decade, Tacloban’s economy is growing and the poverty rate has been lowered. This economic rapid bounce-back may be a phenomenon of a city that has to start from scratch. New Orleans also went through a rapid growth phase in the 10 years after Katrina. Sustaining this healthy economy will be the challenge and if Tacloban is successful, then it will prove its strong resilience and high adaptive capacity.

Aerial view of Tacloban following Typhoon Haiyan.

Credit: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development via Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC-BY-2.0