Philippines: the road to recovery after Typhoon Haiyan

Gulf News

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

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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.

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