Philippines
2013 Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
The Disaster
Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines on November 8th, 2013, as a Category 5 storm. With sustained winds of over 150mph and wind gusts up to 195mph, Haiyan was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded. However, it was the destructive power of the storm surge, approximately 5-7 metres in height, that caused the most damage. The water surged over low-lying coastal communities, and across multiple provinces as it made repeated landfalls across the islands of the Visayas region.
The Super Typhoon destroyed communities small and large, affecting over 16 million people. Some of the most substantial impacts were sustained in Tacloban City where an estimated 90% of buildings and infrastructure were damaged or destroyed. With much of the city lying within five metres of sea level, the citizens of Tacloban were vulnerable to storm surge. Overall, 6,000 people lost their lives, with a further 1,000 still missing.
Influence of Social and Cultural Capital
The scale of the disaster, including the loss of lives and flattening of transportation and communication infrastructure, resulted in considerable disruptions to social and familial networks. Nonetheless, many Filipinos have social capital and networks that extend well beyond provincial and national borders. Remittances, which typically form almost 10% of the Philippines annual gross domestic product, increased by 6% in the post-Haiyan period, providing survivors with a significant income source to help recover and rebuild. Humanitarian assistance in Tacloban was also significant, derived from a comprehensive network of local community-based organizations (CBOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs), national and international NGOs (INGOS), and Philippines regional and national government agencies.
Survivors also sought refuge in less impacted areas, but destruction of homes and buildings was prevalent throughout the region. With many families having nowhere to stay, churches began providing food and shelter to impacted families. Not only did this provide for the immediate needs of the impacted population, but church activities and religious leaders provided mental, psychological, and faith-based support. Many individuals reported growing closer to their faith, which allowed them to cope with stress, rebuild their lives, and strengthen their sense of community.
Tourism and Recovery
The typhoon damaged Tacloban’s airport, and some of the surrounding coastal tourism sites in Leyte and Cebu, as well as transportation routes through the area. Although tourism is not a major revenue source in the region, Tacloban is an important regional tourism gateway, and the post-disaster period saw an upsurge in tourism activities and promotion. The government began a campaign to promote ecotourism to assist areas impacted by the typhoon. This resulted in a 3% increase in the number of tourists in 2014, with numbers continuing to increase over time.
Tourist arrivals immediately after Haiyan included individuals from humanitarian groups that helped local communities with relief efforts (classified academically as ‘tourists’ if their stay was < 1year) as well as more informal ‘volunteer tourists’ or ‘voluntourists’. Tourists would travel to the area to see the typhoon damages and assist in various ways with relief and recovery efforts, including assisting with medical efforts, clearing debris, and reconstruction. Elements of Tacloban’s tourism infrastructure (i.e. hotels, restaurants, booking agencies) that were not destroyed reported a significant increase in business in the year following Haiyan, primarily due to humanitarian response personnel needs. Tourism industry companies also helped facilitate recovery efforts through donating funds, including employees and customers from United Airlines, AmeriCares, American Red Cross, and Royal Caribbean Cruises, amongst others.
Building Resilience
Following the disaster, several initiatives were implemented to reduce vulnerability and build capacity and resilience to respond to future typhoons. These ranged from hazard-resistant housing reconstruction efforts, evacuation drills and disaster preparedness measures, evidenced-based risk reduction research programs, and livelihood recovery and training initiatives. ‘Build Back Better’ was the guiding mantra of many reconstruction efforts.
One major initiative to increase resilience was to enact policies enforcing ‘no-build zones’: high-risk areas where rebuilding was prohibited within 40 metres of the coastline. This resulted in relocation communities being built to house people who had to move away from coastal areas. While some applauded efforts to relocate people away from high-risk coastal locations, the program has been controversial. No-build zones have been inconsistently enforced, and resettlement zones north of Tacloban city have led to displacement of farmers originally living in these locations. There are also concerns that these no-build zones, implemented under the guise of disaster risk reduction, are a tool to remove the local population to further develop specific industries such as luxury tourism initiatives.
