Surviving Typhoon Durian

by Francisco Catindig

When a super typhoon struck the Philippines in September 2006, Honesimo and Virginia Bandula were lucky to have meager savings that helped replace the tin roof on their home in Daraga.

But when Super Typhoon Durian bore down on this island nation two months later, the only luck they had was to be alive.

The storm, with winds of up to 165 miles per hour, was reported, by the government and witnesses alike, as one of the most destructive of its kind. Typhoon Durian, known locally as Reming, brought one of the harshest winds in Bicol. And witnesses say the boulders from the Mayon Volcano cascaded down like black mud, eroding villages like Daraga, where the Bandula family lived.

Honesimo and Virginia, who have a 10-year-old daughter, Christine, were given ten thousand pesos in immediate relief by their employer, Bishop Nestor Carino of Albay in the Diocese of Legazpi.

Working through the Diocese of Legazpi and our local partner, the National Secretariat for Social Action, CRS has provided lifesaving food and supplies to hundreds of survivors.

Though they still have a long road ahead of them, Honesimo, Virginia and Christine say that the assistance they have received sends a simple message of love that is giving them the hope and courage to rebuild.

More than 700 deaths have been confirmed with another 760 people missing. Thousands of surviving families like the Bandulas are in continuous need of food, clean water, shelter, medicine and other basic needs. To make ends meet, Virginia does laundry for Bishop Carino.

CRS, which has committed $500,000 in aid relief, has focused its recovery efforts on the hardest-hit provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes and Marinduque.

The total property damage caused by the typhoon has so far been assessed at $111 million, with Albay seeing the brunt of the damage.

Daraga, located in Albay, is an agricultural town. In addition to the massive infrastructure damage, the extent of devastation to agriculture was significant, as water and mudflow covered thousands of acres of rice fields and other agricultural land.

Survivors recalled strong winds pounding everything in sight, from trees to houses to electrical posts. "All was flattened including our newly repaired hut," says one survivor. A dike near the vicinity of the Bandula's home was destroyed and washed away due to raging mudflow.

Severe road damage made many villages nearly impossible to reach. Many displaced families in Legazpi were housed in six evacuation centers, mostly schools and churches. Others, like the Bandulas, stayed in improvised tents, or trapals, scattered in the area.

Lifesaving Partnerships

CRS' work helping people during natural disasters is based on a long history of partnerships in the area.

Working with the National Secretariat for Social Action, CRS has seen villagers through the February mudslides and the recent series of deadly, destructive typhoons. Even with limited communication access immediately after the typhoon, crucial information was disseminated in Internet reports and by cell phone from other dioceses. For Typhoon Durian, the National Secretariat for Social Action has already provided immediate relief assistance and is now working with survivors to rebuild their communities livelihoods.

The Secretariat has also established partnership with the government to deliver relief services, and the Catholic church works with other government agencies like the National Disaster Coordinating Council, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Office of the President to facilitate emergency services in times of calamity.

Francisco Catindig has been a researcher and writer with the National Secretariat for Social Action since September 2006. Previously, he was news editor of a local radio station and taught at Bulacan University of Regina Carmeli.