Tacloban orphanage praises 'brave' children who survived typhoon
- 10 years ago
Amid the devastation left by the typhoon in Tacloban has emerged a miraculous tale of dozens of former street children who survived.
Staff at the Streetlight orphanage did their best to prepare for the storm.
Everyone took shelter inside but rising floodwater forced nearly 70 children and adults onto the roof.
Among them was the orphanage’s Norwegian founder, Erlend Johannessen, who takes up the story.
“We were on the roof, all of us, five-metre waves pounding on our walls, building shaking, 300-kilometre winds, and we were just holding on for our dear lives. But my kids are so, so brave. My staff is so, so amazing. They really showed true Filipino spirit. They refused to give up, they were holding onto each other. Even if it’s not their own kids, they held them as if it was their own kids,” he said.
The typhoon left only two walls of the building intact.
Although some staff lost family members, everyone at the orphanage survived.
The children have been living in a nearby park and have been trying to clear up the debris.
Beyond the orphanage grounds, staff say bodies are everywhere and people have been killed for food.
The home plans to evacuate the children to part of the Philippines where another organisation is ready to look after them.
Staff at the Streetlight orphanage did their best to prepare for the storm.
Everyone took shelter inside but rising floodwater forced nearly 70 children and adults onto the roof.
Among them was the orphanage’s Norwegian founder, Erlend Johannessen, who takes up the story.
“We were on the roof, all of us, five-metre waves pounding on our walls, building shaking, 300-kilometre winds, and we were just holding on for our dear lives. But my kids are so, so brave. My staff is so, so amazing. They really showed true Filipino spirit. They refused to give up, they were holding onto each other. Even if it’s not their own kids, they held them as if it was their own kids,” he said.
The typhoon left only two walls of the building intact.
Although some staff lost family members, everyone at the orphanage survived.
The children have been living in a nearby park and have been trying to clear up the debris.
Beyond the orphanage grounds, staff say bodies are everywhere and people have been killed for food.
The home plans to evacuate the children to part of the Philippines where another organisation is ready to look after them.