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Information from Tearfund - http://www.tearfund.org/en/news/world_news/typhoon_survivors_tell_of_homes_destruction/

Factsheet: Typhoon survivors tell of homes destruction by Mark Lang - 15 November 2013

A tangled mess of bamboo, rubble and palm trees confronts nine-year-old Imy when he returns to the remains of his family’s house.

The destructive power of typhoon Haiyan took off the roof and destroyed most of the walls. ‘I was so sad to see our home destroyed,’ said Imy.

His mum Elvira, 43, has been left reeling by the devastation. The family had few possessions before the storm hit the Philippines and now have even fewer.

‘The table and chairs we owned were all broken. Those were all the belongings we had,’ she said. ‘We knew a typhoon was coming, but we did not expect it to be so strong.’

When the typhoon struck the small town of Albuera, the family had moved to a local church for shelter, a decision that probably saved their lives.

But while they are thankful to have survived, they are homeless and their future is very uncertain.

Elvira is praying that God will provide them with a house and they will be able to pay the rent. But this will be very difficult in Albuera, as many houses are either completely destroyed or damaged and many families are homeless after the typhoon.

‘My hope is that someone will come and help our family, maybe other Christians,’ said Elvira, who only moved to the town with husband Lucriscio and their five children seven months ago.

They relocated from the mountains in the hope of a better life and the prospect of being able to send the kids to school. Prior to the storm, Elvira worked as a laundry woman and Lucriscio was a bicycle taxi driver but they found it difficult to pay the rent.

Manuel Jagourd, from Tearfund partner Medair, who met the family, said: ‘The only thing Elvira could do at this time was cry out loudly to God.’

On another part of Leyte island is a small church which is one of the few buildings still standing amid a mass of flattened homes, power poles and trees.

Part of the church roof was blown away in the typhoon but its walls proved an invaluable refuge for several families who are now homeless, such as Lito Managantan, 34, and wife Emmalyn Delantar, 25, along with their two boys, Mark Anthony, seven, and Justin, 11 months.

Emmalyn said, ‘If the pastor hadn’t opened the chapel, we would have stayed in our house and maybe we would have died. God saved us, welcoming us into his house.’

Recalling the force of the typhoon, Emmalyn said, ‘The roof of our house was shaking and a part was blown away. We were very afraid and the children too. They were crying.’

When asked about her future needs, Emmalyn replies simply: ‘I just want a small house where I can bring up my kids with dignity.’

Tearfund is supporting two partners in the Philippines as they respond to the typhoon aftermath and the emergency needs of food, clean water and shelter.

Tearfund partner Medair is starting a 90-day emergency relief project in Leyte from today which will help 120,000 people.

Aid will include:

•emergency shelter kits with tarpaulins, iron roofing sheets and ropes•household items for 24,000 people such as blankets, bedding, kitchen utensils•hygiene and sanitation kits, including water treatment sachets, soap, jerry cans, buckets, and plastic latrine slabs for 4,800 vulnerable households (24,000 people)•emergency health kits capable of providing emergency health care to 120,000 people for one month•supporting rural health facilities that have been damaged, and restore vital supply chains of necessary medicines and supplies

Tearfund partner World Renew is•running a two week emergency food distribution in Ilo-ilo, Leyte and Samar targeting 4,000 families. It will also supply household, hygiene and sanitation items•supplying 4,000 families with emergency food items including rice, milk, coffee and sugar, as well as blankets and sleeping mats•providing access to clean water for 4,000 families

Information from Tearfund - http://www.tearfund.org/en/news/world_news/typhoon_survivors_tell_of_homes_destruction /