13 years after Yolanda, Tacloban carries lessons into every typhoon

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — For 38-year-old Marian Edano, moving forward 13 years after Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) devastated this city does not mean forgetting the husband and relatives she lost to the disaster.

Edano lost her husband, Jesus, and several relatives when their house in Sitio Alimasag, Barangay 88, San Jose district, was swept away by Yolanda’s massive storm surge on Nov. 8, 2013.

On Sunday, she visited her husband’s grave at the Holy Cross Memorial Garden with their 13-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son, joining other families in commemorating the typhoon’s 13th anniversary.

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“Although it is very difficult to move on without remembering the loss, we have continued with our lives and are looking forward to a better future,” she said.

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Edano said her family has since learned to take no chances whenever a typhoon threatens Tacloban, preparing to evacuate even before authorities issue official advisories.

READ: Act on environmental woes, learn from Yolanda catastrophe, says church

Her experience reflects the lessons that Mayor Alfred Romualdez urged residents to carry forward as the city marked the anniversary, emphasizing the importance of disaster preparedness and early evacuation.

Mass grave

Romualdez made the call during the commemoration at Holy Cross Memorial Garden, where about 2,200 victims were hastily buried in a mass grave.

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He said the annual gathering was not only an occasion to remember those who perished but also an opportunity to thank the international community and the national government for the assistance extended to Tacloban after the disaster.

READ: This Taclobanon lived to tell the story of Yolanda

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More importantly, the commemoration should prompt residents to assess how far the city has come and whether they have learned from the tragedy, Romualdez said.

For one, he noted that residents have become more conscious of disaster risks, particularly the need to evacuate ahead of an approaching storm.

Before Yolanda, the city government often struggled to convince residents, especially those in high-risk communities, to leave their homes and move to safer grounds, he recalled.

“Since then, we have registered zero casualties due to typhoons,” Romualdez said.

20 evacuation facilities

The city government has identified more than 20 evacuation facilities, including public schools and the Tacloban City Astrodome, to accommodate residents threatened by severe weather.

Yolanda, one of the most powerful storms worldwide, struck the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, devastating coastal communities across Eastern Visayas, with Tacloban among the hardest-hit areas. It left 6,300 dead and 1,061 missing.

The commemoration culminated in the evening with the tolling of church bells and the lighting of candles along streets across the city.

Other communities in Eastern Visayas devastated by Yolanda, including Palo and Tanauan in Leyte and Guiuan in Eastern Samar, also held activities to honor the victims and remember the destruction.

Environmental crisis

Meanwhile, the Diocese of Borongan also urged communities to turn the lessons of Yolanda into action against environmental destruction and to protect vulnerable populations.

In a pastoral message on Sunday, the diocese called on the faithful to “see, judge, and act” in addressing the worsening environmental crisis, urging them to oppose destructive mining, protect forests and mangroves, reduce waste and prepare for disasters.

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“Remembering is not enough. Yolanda asks something of us today, in the midst of an environmental emergency that grows more urgent each year,” it said. —With a report from Dianne Sampang