Culasi loses millions to 'Yolanda' (Panay News)

2 dead, 31 hurt, 8 missing

By TYPHOON YOLANDA STORY HUB VISAYAS

CULASI, Antique — This third-class municipality was one of the three most damaged towns in northern Antique when super typhoon “Yolanda” ravaged Panay Island.

The storm, considered the strongest to ever make landfall, damaged millions of pesos worth of properties and agricultural crops here.

“Yolanda” made its landfall here at 12:30 p.m. on November 8, according to the Damage Assessment Report from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO). Read the rest of the story here.

Rice shortage seen after 1-3 months (The Daily Guardian)

By Mary Rose Adelle G. Pacificar

Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas


Barbaza, Antique – This town will experience shortage on agricultural needs, especially rice, in the next months as an after-effect of super typhoon Yolanda.

This was according to Juan Marquez Sr., officer-in-charge  of the municipal agriculturist’s office of Barbaza.

“Tapos pa isa hasta tatlokabulankagmabal-ankonano effect [sang bagyo] (The effects of the typhoon will be known after one to three months),” said Marquez, referring to both the rice supply and the people’s needs. Read the rest of the story here.

North Antique survivors recall horrors of Yolanda (The Daily Guardian)

By John Carl Alonsagay

Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas


BARBAZA, Antique –It used to be a rural paradise but Typhoon Haiyan’s wrath turned it into a desolate place.

The northern part of Antique Province in Panay Island, Philippines is a picture of hell on earth when Typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc on it for several hours in the afternoon of Nov. 8, 2013.

Mary Jane, 31, a resident of the coastal village of Lindero in the town of Barbaza says she watched other nipa huts and trees blown away by the strong winds. Read the rest of the story here.

'Uneven distribution' of aid in Roxas

By ROZEL A. DE LOS REYES Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas

NOT ENOUGH. Empty boxes of relief goods lie in the Roxas City Social Welfare and Development Office after their contents have been given out to residents affected by super typhoon “Yolanda.” IB AL-AMIN / TYPHOON YOLANDA STORY HUB VISAYAS

ROXAS City — Some survivors of super typhoon “Yolanda” in this city complained about the lack of system in the distribution of relief goods from the government — if any help comes at all.

Some survivors receive more than their share while some have not received anything at all, said Risa Valencia, 30, of Brgy. Baybay.

 “Pauna-una sa pila. Pag-abot mo, wala na bilin. (It’s every man for himself. If you arrive late, there won’t be anything left for you),” she said. Read the rest of the story here.

Batad children traumatized (Panay News)

BY KIM BLUE SAMONTANES Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas

YOUNG TYPHOON SURVIVOR Jonathan (not his real name) of Batad, Iloilo cries every time it rains. He screams for a plastic basin where his mother put him to save him from drowning when super typhoon “Yolanda” plowed their village. PHOTO BY KIM BLUE SAMONTANES, TYPHOON YOLANDA STORY HUB VISAYAS

BATAD, Iloilo – Every time the rain pours and no matter how light, Jonathan (not his real name), a two-year-old boy, panics and cries, “Mama, labador, labador! (Mama, grab a tub, a tub!).”

“Nagahibi na lang na sia kung mag-ulan kay nakulbaan na sa natabo (He cries when it rains, scared of what happened),” said Jonathan’s mom after super typhoon “Yolanda” tore through their village of Alinsolong on November 8. Read the rest of the story here.

Relief distribution in Pontevedra stops (Panay News)

By KIZZIA ANNE RAMOS Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas

 PONTEVEDRA, Capiz — Mayor Steve Contreras is asking for an immediate supply of food, water, medicines, clothing and toiletries to people, especially the evacuees from the 26 barangays affected by super typhoon “Yolanda.”

 The distribution of goods from nongovernment organizations, local government units and the Department of Social Welfare and Development was stopped in the evacuation centers on Sunday due to shortage. Read the rest of the story here.

Capiz kids singing, begging for rice (The Daily Guardian)

By: Rozel A. De los Reyes

Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – A week after Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan) battered Central Philippines, leaving death and devastation in its wake, Roxas City, the capital of Capiz Province in the island of Panay, is eerily quiet.

However, in a peaceful park by the sea, the silence is broken as three children sing love songs to passersby in exchange for food and coins. Read the rest of the story here.

LOOKING TIRED. (from right) Felix in blue, John Lloyd in yellow and Jairus in brown along with their friends Joshua Borres, 14, and Dennis Cosca, 12, take a rest at the Food Court of People’s Park after another day of singing love songs to people. (JonellBlancaver/Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas) Click here for the original image.

FULL AND HAPPY. The little singers of Roxas City with their friends and the team of student journalists of Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas. (Jonell Blancaver/Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas) Click here for the original image.

TOXIC AIR: Oil spill poisoning Estancia village (The Daily Guardian)

by Tiffany Somes and Hazel P. Villa
Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas

WORKERS hired by NAPOCOR to clean up the oil debris in Brgy. Botongon, Estancia wear masks due to the offensive odor emanating from the spill area. (Jonathan Jurilla/Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas) Click here for the original image.

ESTANCIA, Iloilo – The oil spill from a power barge damaged at the height of Typhoon Yolanda has raised the poison levels in the air of Brgy. Botongon.

Enrique T. Ona, secretary of the Department of Health (DOH), said that air pollution levels in the village has reached 16.9 parts per million which is already considered critical. Read the rest of the story here.

"Smiles amidst tragedy"

AJ Flores, one of our mojos for Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas takes us to Antique to find smiles.


"It was such a heartbreaking tragedy as I witness the destruction of properties and lives of the Antiqueños. Many became homeless and poor became poorer." 

Inspite of all these, 

"They can still laugh and smile to the strongest Typhoon in the world...that whatever happens in our lives we must continue and go on no matter the things and people we lost."

Watch the video here.

Foreign volunteer in Concepcion tweets @yolandastoryhub of this photo

Niclas Strindell ‏ @NiclasStrindell who's in the Philippines with a medical team helping in Concepcion area tweeted @yolandastoryhub with this image.

Click here for the original image.

Yolanda victims in Iloilo complain of slow aid delivery (Yahoo! News)

By Julie Ann Mae B. Silvederio and Hazel P. Villa, VERA Files
Photos by Julie B. Silvederio

AJUY, Northern Iloilo – Overshadowed by the devastation in Tacloban, Leyte, victims of Yolanda in this town complain of meager aid and difficulty in rebuilding their lives.

“Sa may kabubut-on nga maghatag materyales sa amun, gapangayo kami tani bulig kay bisan lansang subong wala kami inugbakal (To those who have the heart to provide us materials to rebuild our houses, we are asking for your help because right now we can’t even afford to buy nails),”says Geonny Del Carmen, a 61-year-old resident of the village of  Piliwan, Luca. Read the rest of the story here.

39 brgys 'blown away' in Barbaza, Antique

by Anthony Badoy Mondragon and Hazel P. Villa

SAN JOSE, Antique – All 39 barangays of the fourth-class municipality of Barbaza, Antique was heavily damaged by super typhoon “Yolanda,” with authorities estimating overall destruction of “90 percent” and estimated cost of damage on infrastructure at P391,157,000. Read the rest of the story here.

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Miracle baby escapes death thrice

by Rhea B. Peñaflor
Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub


Amil Cañete was only eight days old when Typhoon Yolanda hit Northern Iloilo. He survived death, not once but thrice. 

Angel Cañete, Amil’s mother shares “We were inside the house when the wind started to become strong. We wanted to go to the church but we were not able to do so because the trees started falling. My husband went to seek refuge in a mango tree but I saw that the tree is about to collapse too, so I shouted and they were able to run. We went to the church but we saw that the sea is coming to us, the waves are getting bigger. The church wasn’t spared so we hurried to climb the mountains.”

From the mountain, Amil turned bluish and his mother shouted for help to throw her a dry clothing so she can cover the newborn infant as he was already very wet. Milk was coming out from Amil’s nose and mouth. Someone threw a shirt and Amil’s mother was able to wrap him. After that, he was wet again because of the heavy rains. Miraculously, Amil’s mother found a “carpet” in the mountain that kept him warm. It is this carpet that kep Amil warm until morning.

The next day, Amil’s mother decided to bring Amil to the town to have him checked if he was okay. This miracle baby once again survived the boat accident when the boat which they took capsized because a pig ran loose and kicked the boat.

“I placed Amil in a plastic box cover and he started to float in the water. I was crying begging for help. We were lucky that there was a pumpboat that passed by and helped us. I shouted to make sure Amil was okay, to secure the plastic box cover,” Amil’s mother reveals.

There are miracles. Amil is only one of the few miracles that happened during this tragic disaster that Yolanda brought to Northern Iloilo.

Story about heroism gets published in Filipino Migrant News, New Zealand

Typhoon Yolanda: Man Dies Saving Nephew in Panay Island

By Caesar Ryan Rosales

Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub Visayas

TAPAZ, Panay Island - In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, stories of heroism have emerged from the desolate fourth class mountainous municipality of Tapaz, province of Capiz in Panay Island, Central Philippines – one of the worst hit by the monster howler that affected almost 2 million Filipinos last Nov. 8, 2013.

Housewife Olivia Glory, 41, sadly remembers the last request of her husband before he died.


“Please take good care of our children,” said Roberto Glory, Olivia’s husband, whose body was flattened by a falling wall of a church from Typhoon Yolanda’s killer winds. Read the rest of the story here.

Surviving in Concepcion

by Grace Siason

CONCEPCION, Iloilo – It is more than a week since super typhoon “Yolanda” devastated this northern Iloilo town where it made its fifth landfall but for the residents, it seemed the monster howler has never really left.

The roof of Concepcion’s fishing port made of galvanized iron flaked off like a scab after strong winds passed through it just like it did in many other parts of northern Iloilo.

Storm surges were so high they covered the nearby hill and wrecked the whole shoreline as witnessed by the residents of Sitio Ponting in the island-barangay of Tambaliza around 11:30 a.m. of November 8 even as they fled their homes and found refuge among the hills. Read the rest of the story here.

86-year-old Typhoon Yolanda Survivor shares her story

Lola Roseta Balbanida, 86, of Banate, Iloilo Province (Panay Island) on Typhoon Yolanda. 

Dumarao reels from aftermath of Yolanda

DUMARAO, Capiz – What awaits the survivors of monster howler Yolanda? Story and photo by Erika Jessa Castillon. Read the rest of the story here. 

Calinog MSWD undermanned, needs volunteers

"WITH 9,818 families homeless or displaced in the 59 barangays of Calinog, Iloilo in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) needs all the help it can get to pack, transport and distribute relief goods to the affected barangays." 

Written by Mae Sheilou L. Conserva, read the rest of the story here.

Concepcion calls for more help

by Rhema Española
Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub

"There were 6 unidentified corpses and which could not be retrieved by those who are looking for their missing relatives. To give them respects, the local government unit dug a mass grave..." Read the rest of the story here

The Ruins in San Dionisio

Meanwhile, in San Dionisio, Iloilo Province 
(as of Nov. 14, 2013)

Photo Credit: Ms. Lorna Hechanova