Eight years after super typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban City, some of its survivors continue to train themselves for new life.
Genita Labrague’s family will never forget the day of the flood when Yolanda struck. Their house by the sea was destroyed.
But they are thankful that eight years later, their family is still together.
So every Yolanda’s anniversary, they have a small gathering in gratitude for the second life given to them.
“Medyo naka-move on na… Kumbaga, medyo hindi na masakit,” she said.
They have also been relocated to the relocation site, far from the beach where they used to live. Their head of the family has also given up fishing.
“Hindi na kami nag-isda, naghanap siya ng ibang trabaho bilang glass installer. Malayo na kasi kami, dati nasa gilid lang ng dagat,” she added.
On Monday, people also visited the mass grave of Yolanda victims to offer prayers, candles, and flowers for those who died in the typhoon.
Alicia Iguillos is still mourning the death of her husband. When the storm hit, her husband left to look after the equipment.
Survivors commemorate Yolanda’s 8th anniversary
She struggled when her husband died because no one was earning a living for the family.
Rogelio Opong also lit a candle, and his son died. Even though it was 8 years ago, he still couldn’t help but regret the loss of his child.
Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. also visited there and admired the resilience of the Yolanda survivors.
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the deadliest Philippine typhoons on record, killing at least 6,300 people in that country alone.
In terms of JTWC-estimated 1-minute sustained winds, Haiyan is tied with Meranti in 2016 for being the second strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record, only behind Goni of 2020. In January 2014, bodies were still being found. Haiyan was also the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2013.
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