Typhoon Haiyan and the terrible destruction it wrought in the Philippines has long been out of the  headlines, but for MELANIE HARGREAVES it’s still very much a reality.

As a worker for the charity, Christian Aid, Miss Hargreaves, of Turner Road, Colchester, went to the city of Tacloban last year to help its devastated citizens in the wake of the disaster, which killed thousands and destroyed many more homes.

A year on, she returned to see how much things have changed.

This is Melanie’s account of what she found.

 

CANDLES adorned fishing boats during an evening memorial off the shore of Tacloban, the city which was the media focus after Typhoon Haiyan hit last November.

It forced more than four million people from their homes and left more than 6,000 dead. A year on, the city is solemn, as its residents, and those who rushed to their aid, remember the horror that struck the country.

I was here a year ago, just days after Haiyan hit, travelling with Christian Aid emergency response teams and our local partner organisations who work closely with communities.

At the time, the scene was like an apocalypse – it still haunts me now.

The smell of festering debris hung in the air. There were coconut trees snapped in half like mere twigs and electricity poles bent double. Communities were plunged into darkness and cut off from communications. No building was left untouched.

Thankfully, the scenes which awaited me a week ago were a relief to witness. The landscape is alive again, with lush, green plants hanging over the dirt roads as we travelled throughout Eastern Samar – which neighbours Tacloban – and Iloilo island, to the west.

People’s belongings – books, soft toys, food mixers – had been intermingled with brown, damp leaves, sand and remnants of homes. Now, the white sands and clear blue sea are a joy to behold.

On the surface it may look as if people are getting back to how it was before, but delve deeper and it’s a different story.

Last year, I met Ronnie Flores, 24 and his niece Angelica, now five, just a week after the typhoon hit their village. The little girl was silent. Ronnie had saved her from the waves which reached heights of 20 metres and engulfed their small, coastal village.

Sadly, Angelica’s mother – Ronnie’s sister – and her father did not survive.

Her mum’s body was never found.

In the aftermath, the family received food supplies, drinking water, soap and a jerrycan, from Christian Aid’s local partner organisations.

Ronnie has also recently received seeds and gardening tools, providing much-needed nutritious food.

Their home was destroyed, but Ronnie was given a new plot further inland, where he has built a shelter from corrugated iron and coconut lumber.

However, their situation – like that of so many others – is still tough.

Before the typhoon struck, Ronnie used to sell bread from a motorbike. He is still unable to work, as the bakery which supplied his income was destroyed.

Other jobs, such as fishing, or coconut farming, are no longer a possibility.

Ronnie’s main priority now is Angelica, who still has nightmares about the typhoon.

They’ve received some money to send her to the local school, and Ronnie’s received a little cash.

Angelica is now smiling again, but Ronnie says she is still suffering. She keeps asking when her parents are coming back.

Christian Aid is working in Samar, Leyte, Iloilo and Palawan, supporting communities – including people like Ronnie – by coming up with new, long-term job opportunities, to help affected people get back on their feet and grow back stronger.

A year on, this is still a priority for most people.