The long road to recovery

SAMAR, Philippines – The town of Guiuan in Samar was one of the hardest-hit areas when Typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan hit the Philippines last year.
A hundred days after the disaster, locals start to revive their sources of livelihood.
Pia Ranada reports.

Dawn breaks in Guiuan, Samar, three months after Typhoon Yolanda.
Businesses open in the small town, home to more than 47,000 people.
Some are opening for the first time in months.
Yolanda’s winds and rain shut down businesses within hours.
Stores were reduced to shambles.
The only government fishing and aquaculture facility remains damaged and unusable affecting 80% of locals who depend on the local fishing industry.
But everyone wakes up from a long night.
The fishermen are back at sea.
In the town proper, store owners repair their shops.
All roads have been cleared of debris.
With 10% of Guiuan still off the grid many businesses rely on generators for electricity.
Store owner Billy Nadores opened his shop two weeks after Yolanda.

BILLY NADORES, STORE OWNER: Mga ilang week lang, mga two weeks kasi naisip ko na kailangan maayos kaagad ito kasi wala kaming hanapbuhay. Paano kami makakahanap ng pera para at least makuha namin yung pangangailangan namin.
(After two weeks, I thought we had to fix the store or else we’ll have no source of livelihood. How will we find the money to at least provide us with our basic needs?)

ALICE SONIO: Kahit naman binagyo, may pinagkikitaan naman ang mga tao. Napag-raise naman yung hanapbuhay. Malakas ang negosyo.
(Even if there was a storm, people have sources of income. Business is good.)

Yolanda even changes the inventory of some businesses.
Nadores used to sell mainly rice in his small store. Not anymore.

NADORES: Kasi madalang ang bilihan. Sa ngayon wala nang bilihan kasi maraming relief. Hindi mabenta namin ang bigas namin.
(It doesn’t sell as much. Right now, no one is buying because there’s a lot of it from relief goods. Our rice doesn’t sell.)

So what sells in Guiuan these days?

NADORES: Sa ngayon, dahil maraming relief, yung inumin. Kahit anong inumin. Yung alak kahit ano, yung shoktong, lahat ng inumin. Kahit yung softdrinks.
(Right now, because of all the relief goods, it’s the drinks. Any kind of drink sells. Alcoholic drinks, all kinds. Even softdrinks.)

Animal feeds and eggs are also hot items.
But there’s more to the residents beyond goods to sell and an enterprising spirit.

NADORES: Okay lang. Mga pagsubok lang yun. Ganoon talaga yun. Yung mga pagsubok yun na nagpapatatag sa atin.
(It’s okay. Those are only challenges. That’s the way it is. They are challenges that make us stronger.)

It’s still a long way to go before Guiuan makes a full recovery but its people are ready to meet the challenge head on.
Pia Ranada, Guiuan, Samar.

– Rappler.com