00:00Christine Aton enters the makeshift shelter her family has had to call home since Typhoon
00:06Kalmegi ripped across the central Philippines on Tuesday. Over a hundred people died in the
00:11Philippines. And in her town of Liloan alone, 35 bodies have been found. Among the dead is
00:18Christine's sister, Michelle, who was trapped in her bedroom as the floodwaters overtook the family
00:22home. My sister, who has a mental disability, was inside her room. We tried to pry the door.
00:30It wouldn't open. We tried to open it with a kitchen knife, a crowbar, and wood, but it
00:35wouldn't budge. I tried punching the door. It still wouldn't open. We tried until the
00:40water got really high. It reached over our heads. Survivors are dazed. And some, like Krios Roa
00:49and his family, are going hungry. We've not eaten for two days. My children are in shock,
00:57traumatized, and unresponsive. The ones 14 years old, the other 18. They were traumatized
01:03by the floodwaters. It's our first time encountering something like that.
01:09Filipinos are used to living with typhoons. Kalmegi is the 20th in a string of powerful
01:15and even deadly storms to hit the country this year alone. But a common refrain among
01:19survivors this time is surprise at how fast this storm hit and how intense the destruction
01:25has been.
01:28The floodwaters quickly rushed in and we were not able to bring anything with us. This
01:32was the first time that has happened to us. I've been living here for almost 16 years
01:37and it was the first time I've experienced the flooding. For many, the storm has swept
01:42away a lifetime of hard work overnight, leaving nothing. Liza Bekus is among them. She is busy
01:49digging for whatever clothing that survived from the ruins of her house.
01:55Everything was destroyed. Only the flooring remained. Everything was washed out. We have no
02:01belongings. My children have nothing. Their uniforms, bags, and all of our things are gone.
02:06We borrowed money to buy our TV, took us three weeks to pay back, and washing machine about
02:12a month to pay back. For my children, but it's now gone.
02:15The central Philippines is now a battered region. Just a month ago, the north of Cebu Island,
02:21one of the region's main landmasses, suffered a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that killed dozens.
02:26Now the island is caked in mud and littered with ruins, leaving people to pick up as best
02:32they can and ask what comes next. Andy Xue and John Vintry asked for Taiwan Plus.
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