IN PHOTOS: Olango Island after Odette

CEBU, Philippines – The days are cold and nights are long on Olango Island. 

What was once a tourist-destination known for its bird and marine sanctuary is now a husk of its former self after Typhoon Odette smashed the small island off of Mactan last December 16.

Dark clouds have been hovering over the villages on the island for several days now.

Almost all of the residents earn a living from fishing or tourism, mostly from foreigners who would come to visit. 

But they stopped coming here after COVID-19 shut down tourism in the Philippines in 2020.

Odette turned the villages on the island upside down, destroying the roofs and walls of almost all the huts and houses here.

Solar-powered street lamps and electrical posts are rendered useless after the powerful storm ripped them off the ground and smashed most of them into the concrete. 

Trees were plucked from the soil and corrugated sheets dangle from branches and hanging wires.

Despite the cold, the townsfolk are still warm. Their spirits and smiles light their dark shelters – or lack thereof. It is all they can do as they wait for more aid to reach the island. 

Many lack access to potable water, most homes still do not have electricity, while others cannot obtain – or afford to buy – materials to replace the roofs of their homes. 

These days, the villagers sleep on damp bed sheets and shiver as storms continue to pass over the island. 

For the New Year, if they cannot get electricity back on, many villagers wish for food, water, solar-powered lamps, flashlights, and cellular signal. 

Others just wish for this nightmare to be over.

– Rappler.com