Philippines: the road to recovery after Typhoon Haiyan. Gulf News looks into the recovery efforts after Typhoon Haiyan's devastation in central Philippines. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00In November 2013, the entire world joined hands to help the Philippines rise from the
00:17devastation brought by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded.
00:25The typhoon brought unimaginable damage to people and property in the Philippines.
00:31More than seven months since the monster typhoon swept through the central region of the Philippines,
00:37recovery efforts are still underway.
00:40The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council revealed in a report
00:46last April that Haiyan affected more than 16 million people in the different parts of
00:51the Visayas and Karaga region.
00:53Some 890,000 families were reportedly displaced.
00:59Haiyan killed 6,300 people, injured more than 28,000, while more than 1,000 people are still
01:08reported missing.
01:10The total cost of damage is estimated at more than 89.5 billion pesos.
01:17Humanitarian groups from all over the world continue to help restore the lives of those
01:22affected, but progress remains slow, with millions of people still requiring urgent
01:29assistance.
01:31Some Filipinos remain worried about what their future holds, especially those with no shelter.
01:38One of the generous countries that extended help to the Philippines is the United Arab
01:43Emirates, which pledged US$10 million to aid efforts.
01:48The UAE government has been sending teams from the Red Crescent, and I think they are
01:54coordinating directly with the Philippine Red Cross in order to give help in the rehabilitation
01:59of Arkababayans in the Haiyan affected or Yolanda affected areas.
02:03Aside from the UAE government, many private groups in the UAE are also reaching out to
02:08people in the typhoon-ravaged areas.
02:11One of these groups is Basics Global, a non-profit organization based in the UAE that helps
02:17communities affected by natural disasters.
02:21You give me 5,000 dirhams, and this is the house you've built.
02:25And these are the people that are living in the house that you've built.
02:27So it's something that you can hold on to, something tangible.
02:31We were with an entity called Our Village, and they're helping continuously by now giving
02:38funding for SMEs so that they're able to give livelihood and not just give cash donations
02:44but also give jobs, job-generating activities for the families affected to be able to fend
02:50for themselves.
02:51Thousands of Filipinos have been provided with basic amenities, shelter, short-term
02:56employment and livelihood support, including job training, micro-enterprise support, cash
03:02for work programs, and engagement in the repair of public infrastructure.
03:09Despite the encouraging response, much more still needs to be done.
03:14According to a report in April by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
03:20Affairs, more than 5,000 Filipino families still live in evacuation centers, and nearly
03:27two-thirds of the fishing community in affected areas have lost their primary assets.
03:33Typhoon Haiyan also destroyed more than 33 million coconut trees, one of the country's
03:41main crops, jeopardizing the livelihood of more than a million farming families, including
03:47six million workers who lost their jobs.
03:52But with the whole world joining hands in helping people rebuild their lives, there
03:57is hope that the typhoon victims can reclaim their lives.
04:02The international humanitarian community has already provided an estimated 4.5 million
04:08people with food assistance and 3 million people with emergency shelter.
04:16Above all is the remarkable Filipino spirit.
04:20The resilience of the survivors and the positivity of the Filipino people will be the key to
04:27their recovery efforts.
04:29Alex Abraham, Gulf News.