Thursday, June 25, 2015

Super Tyhooon Haiyan (Yolanda) - Journey to Tacloban

TYPHOON YOLANDA BEFORE AND AFTER

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Remembering Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)

Today November 8, marks the third anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), described as the most devastating typhoon to ever hit the Philippines, 6,340 people perished while millions lost their homes.

The thirtieth named storm of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season, Haiyan originated from an area of low pressure several hundred kilometers east-southeast of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia on November 2, 2013. Tracking generally westward, environmental conditions favored tropical cyclogenesis and the system developed into a tropical depression the following day. After becoming a tropical storm and attaining the name Haiyan at 0000 UTC on November 4, the system began a period of rapid intensification that brought it to typhoon intensity by 1800 UTC on November 5. By November 6, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed the system as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale; the storm passed over the island of Kayangel in Palau shortly after attaining this strength.

Thereafter, it continued to intensify; at 1200 UTC on November 7, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded the storm's maximum ten-minute sustained winds to 230 km/h (145 mph), the highest in relation to the cyclone. The Hong Kong Observatory put the storm's maximum ten-minute sustained winds at 285 km/h (180 mph) prior to landfall in the central Philippines, while the China Meteorological Administration estimated the maximum two-minute sustained winds at the time to be around 78 m/s (280 km/h or 175 mph). At the same time, the JTWC estimated the system's one-minute sustained winds to 315 km/h (195 mph), unofficially making Haiyan the strongest tropical cyclone ever observed based on wind speed, a record which would then be surpassed by Hurricane Patricia in 2015 at 345 km/h (215 mph). It's also the strongest tropical cyclone in the Eastern Hemisphere; several others have recorded lower central pressure readings. Several hours later, the eye of the cyclone made its first landfall in the Philippines at Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Gradually weakening, the storm made five additional landfalls in the country before emerging over the South China Sea. Turning northwestward, the typhoon eventually struck northern Vietnam as a severe tropical storm on November 10. Haiyan was last noted as a tropical depression by the JMA the following day.

The cyclone caused catastrophic destruction in the Visayas, particularly on Samar and Leyte. According to UN officials, about 11 million people have been affected – many have been left homeless.
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Unveiled on November 7, 2015. This is the actual bow of the M/V Eva Jocelyn made into a memorial marker. This memorial is in honor of the residents of Barangays; 67, 68, and 69 who died in that spot when this cargo vessel was swept ashore by a gigantic storm surge that was caused by the strong wind that reaches 375 miles per hour.
The Eva Jocelyn ship has been pushed to the shore by typhoon Haiyan's winds and storm surge. Houses blown, washed away and destroyed. A boy walks among houses' rubble and collects items for recycling. Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was an exceptionally powerful tropical cyclone that devastated the Philippines. Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded at landfall in terms of wind speed. Typhoon Haiyan's casualties and destructions occured during a powerful storm surge, an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea level.
Nov. 8, 2015
TACLOBAN CITY - The Philippines Sunday marked the second anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan - with the bodies of possible victims of the disaster which left at least 7,350 people dead or missing still being uncovered.
Thousands of residents marked the two-year milestone in the city of Tacloban, which was devastated by the huge storm, as memorials were unveiled and masses held.
On Saturday authorities confirmed they found six new bodies.
The unidentified skeletal remains were found by a man scavenging for wood in the outskirts of the city, according to Tacloban fire chief Charlie Herson.
"These are possible victims of the typhoon. They were buried by debris, in piles of wood," he told AFP.
Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever recorded to hit land, smashed into the central Philippines on November 8, 2013. The once-thriving city of Tacloban on the island of Leyte suffered the worst damage with hundreds of houses washed away by a storm surge.
To mark the tragedy Sunday, special memorials were unveiled and Roman Catholic masses were said for the victims, including the more than 2,400 mostly-unidentified bodies buried in a mass grave in Tacloban.




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"Mano po" is a beautiful and meaningful Filipino gesture to express respect and thanks. It is usually given to Filipino elders by holding their hand, bowing slightly to allow their hand to touch the forehead.

Captain Assaf Diller, a company commander of the Israeli Home Front Command, just experienced the gesture of a Filipino tradition when the delegations to the Philippines worked with survivors of Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan). And not surprisingly a photo of that touching moment goes viral on social media.







A Boeing 777F operated by Emirates SkyCargo at the airport with relief goods for Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda donated by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development.
Oxfam employees prepare and check aid in Oxfam’s Emergency Warehouse which is to be shipped to the Philippines to assist the humanitarian crisis following Typhoon Haiya on November 12, 2013 in Bicester, England. Oxfam is initially providing 16 tonnes of aid, with a value of 212,000 GBP, comprising of water, sanitation and emergency shelters. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

US Marines unload relief items from a cargo plane at the Tacloban airport on Thursday. President Aquino was under growing pressure to speed up the distribution of food, water and medicine to desperate survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”




























































































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Top 10 Deadliest Typhoons That Ravaged The Philippines

10. Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) – June 2008

9. Typhoon Sisang (Nina) – November 1987

8. Typhoon Amy – December 1951

7. Typhoon Trix – October 1952

6. Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) – December 2011

5. Typhoon Nitang (Ike) – September 1984

4. Tropical Depression Winnie – November 2004

3. Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) – December 2012

2. Tropical Storm Uring (Thelma) – November 1991

1. Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) – November 2013





Trail of destruction: Those who escaped the awesome power of Haiyan now face a grim battle to rebuild their lives among the sprawling wreckages
Trail of destruction: Those who escaped the awesome power of Haiyan now face a grim battle to rebuild their lives among the sprawling wreckage
An aerial shot from a Philippine Air Force helicopter shows the devastation on Monday of the first landfall by typhoon Haiyan in Guiuan, Eastern Samar province, central Philippines
An aerial shot from a Philippines Air Force helicopter shows the devastation left by typhoon Haiyan in Guiuan, Eastern Samar province, central Philippines
A ship after it was swept inland at Tacloban city. This photograph was taken by the Philippine Air Force
Blown inland: A ship lies among the ruins of a built-up area of Tacloban after the vessel was swept inland. This photograph was taken by the Philippines Air Force
This aerial shot shows destroyed houses on Victory Island near the town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar province, central Philippines
This aerial shot shows destroyed houses on Victory Island near the town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar province, central Philippines
A battered town in Samar province in central Philippines. Dazed survivors  begged for help and scavenged for food, water and medicine on Monday, threatening to overwhelm military and rescue resources
A battered town in Samar province in central Philippines. Dazed survivors  begged for help and scavenged for food, water and medicine on Monday, threatening to overwhelm military and rescue resources
Ships that washed ashore into a coastal community after Typhoon Haiyan hit the province of Leyte in central Philippines
Ships that washed ashore into a coastal community after Typhoon Haiyan hit the province of Leyte in central Philippines 
US Marines stack gear onto a pallet during preparations for disaster relief for the Philippines at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan
US Marines stack gear onto a pallet during preparations for disaster relief for the Philippines at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan
City of the dead: Dazed survivors survey the damaged houses in Tacloban city, Leyte province. At least 10,000 people are believed to have died there
City of the dead: Dazed survivors survey the damaged houses in Tacloban city, Leyte province. At least 10,000 people are believed to have died there
Force of nature: One of the many ships which have been swept into the Tacloban by the power of the typhoon
Force of nature: One of the many ships that have been swept into Tacloban by the power of the typhoon
A Filipino father and his children wait for food relief outside their makeshift tent.
Desperate measures: A Filipino father and his children wait for food relief outside their makeshift tent. Survivors have foraged for food as supplies dwindled, with some uncovering the bodies of the dead

Action: President Benigno Aquino has deployed troops to the area in a bid to restore calm after Philipine Red Cross aid trucks were attacked by hungry mobs
Survivors in Tacloban told reporters they are so desperate for food that they have been forced to loot shops and steal from the dead
Action: President Benigno Aquino has deployed troops to the area in a bid to restore calm after Philippines Red Cross aid trucks were attacked by hungry mobs
Aftermath: Resident gather in the remains of a structure in Tacloban. Those left homeless have been forced to plunder the houses belonging to the dead. One local councillor admitted he has stepped on corpses in a desperate bid to find food
Aftermath: Resident gather in the remains of a structure in Tacloban. Those left homeless have been forced to plunder the houses belonging to the dead. One local councillor admitted he has stepped on corpses in a desperate bid to find food saying: 'If you have not eaten in three days, you do shameful things to survive'
Remains: Survivors have begun to rummage through the wreckages of houses in a bid to find food to feed their families

Remains: Survivors have begun find corpses as they rummage through the wreckages of houses in a bid to find food to feed their starving families
Making do: Survivors have been forced to forage for food and supplies after many homes were submerged by flood water and landslides
Making do: Survivors have been forced to forage for food and supplies after many homes were submerged by flood water and landslides
The Philippines president is considering introducing martial law in Tacloban city (pictured), where up to 10,000 people are feared dead, to enforce security after serious looting

The Philippines president is considering introducing martial law in Tacloban city (pictured), where up to 10,000 people are feared dead.
Holy house: Churches in the storm torn city have become temporary aid centres offering washing facilities and handing out emergency food supplies

Holy house: Churches in the storm torn city have become temporary aid centres offering washing facilities and handing out emergency food supplies
Shelter from the storm: While the Catholic church in Tacloban has welcomed victims, many buildings have been broken into by desperate looters

Shelter from the storm: While the Catholic church in Tacloban has welcomed victims, many buildings have been broken into by desperate looters
This image taken by astronaut Karen L. Nyberg and released by NASA shows Super Typhoon Haiyan from the International Space Station yesterday

This image taken by astronaut Karen L. Nyberg and released by NASA shows Super Typhoon Haiyan from the International Space Station yesterday
Washing still hangs on the lines but dozens of bamboo houses have been flattened by the storm in Baladian in the municipality of Concepcion, Iloilo Province

Washing still hangs on the lines but dozens of bamboo houses have been flattened by the storm in Baladian in the municipality of Concepcion, Iloilo Province
Loss: A mother weeps beside the dead body of her son at a chapel in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban

Loss: A mother weeps beside the dead body of her son at a chapel in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban.

A ship was washed ashore in the huge storm. Surging sea water strewed debris for miles and survivors said the devastation was like a tsunami

A ship was washed ashore in the huge storm. Surging sea water strewed debris for miles and survivors said the devastation was like a tsunami
The storm is one of the most powerful ever recorded

The storm is one of the most powerful ever recorded and huge waves swept away entire coastal villages and destroyed up to 80 per cent of the area in its path
More than 330,900 people were displaced and 4.3million 'affected' by the typhoon in 36 provinces, the U.N. has said

More than 330,900 people were displaced and 4.3million 'affected' by the typhoon in 36 provinces, the UN has said
Residents try to salvage belongings in Tacloban city, Leyte province.

Residents try to salvage belongings in Tacloban city, Leyte province. Rescuers have not even been able to contact some towns on the coast where the storm first hit
Villagers walk past a body of victim laying on a pier in the super typhoon devastated city of Tacloban, Leyte province

Villagers walk past a body of victim laying on a pier in the super typhoon devastated city of Tacloban, Leyte province
This afternoon, the Typhoon Haiyan - believed to be the strongest storm to ever hit land - made landfall in Sanya in south China's Hainan province.

This afternoon, Typhoon Haiyan - believed to be the strongest storm to ever hit land - made landfall in Sanya in south China's Hainan province
Workers remove a tree that has fallen onto a car in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan after it struck Sanya

Workers remove a tree that fell onto a car during the deadly storm, which is the 30th typhoon to strike China this year
Vehicles move slowly by a fallen billboard in Sanya in south China's Hainan province

The typhoon is now making its way towards Vietnam and mainland China - with locals bracing themselves for the onslaught of the deadly typhoon
Heavy winds had already caused damage to China's Hainan island before the super typhoon made landfall this afternoon. Above, a billboard is blown over by the strong winds

Heavy winds had already caused damage to China's Hainan island before the super typhoon made landfall. Above, a billboard is blown over by the strong winds
A man carries boxes of milk as he passes by ships washed ashore by enormous waves in Tacloban city, Leyte province

A man carries boxes of milk as he passes by ships washed ashore by enormous waves in Tacloban city, Leyte province
One survivor said the scenes of utter devastation caused by the typhoon was 'like the end of the world'

One survivor said the scenes of utter devastation caused by the typhoon was 'like the end of the world'
Aid agencies have made emergency appeals for funds and are trying to reach survivors who are in desperate need of clean water and shelter

Aid agencies have made emergency appeals for funds and are trying to reach survivors who are in desperate need of clean water and shelter
Bodies still lie in the roads and thousands of homes lie destroyed near the fish port after super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city

Bodies still lie in the roads and thousands of homes lie destroyed near the fish port after super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city


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Tacloban City: Haiyan Aftermath
UNITED NATIONS$25 million
UNITED STATESInitial $100,000 for water and sanitation; Troops, emergency respondents, transportation and equipment + $20 million , Aircraft carrier and ships for rescue operations. $20 million
BRITAIN10 million pounds’ (roughly $16 million)
AUSTRALIA10 million Australian dollars ($9.4 million) initial & immediate pledge
UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAM$2 million
UNICEF66 tons of emergency supplies
JAPAN$10 million and 25-member relief team
CANADA$5 million
CHINAInitial $200,000, including $100,000 from the government and another $100,000 from the Chinese Red Cross.
TAIWAN$200,000
ASEAN$500,000 & medical staffs and rescue workers through AHA
AUSTRALIAP1.2 Billion (A$30 million) total donation
BELGIUMmedical and search and rescue personnel
CANADAC$5 million
CHINA$100,000
DENMARKKR 10 million
EUROPEAN UNIONEUR 10 million
GERMANY€500,000 & 23 tons of relief goods
HUNGARYsearch and rescue personnel and rapid response team
INDONESIA$2million, Humanitarian aid
ISRAELteam of medical, trauma and relief professionals
ITALYFundrasing of RAI and Croce Rosa Italiana
JAPAN$10 milion, troops, emergency relief medical team
MALAYSIAmedical and search and rescue teams
THE NETHERLANDSundisclosed financial aid
NEW ZEALANDNZ $2.15 million
NORWAY65 million Norwegian kroner & 70 tonnes of advanced communication equipment
RUSSIArapid response team
SAUDI ARABIA through Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al SaudUS$100,000
SINGAPORE$200,000
SPAINin-kind donations
SOUTH KOREA$5 million, rescue workers and medical staff
SWEDENemergency communications equipment
SWITZERLANDHumanitarian aid unit
TAIWAN$200,000
TURKEYmedics, rapid response team, search and rescue personnel
UNITED ARAB EMIRATESDhs 36 million
UNITED KINGDOM$10 million worth of emergency support package, 15 million pounds by National Gov’t., & 23 million pounds from DEC
UNITED NATIONS Children’s Fund$1.3 million worth of supplies
AMERICAN RED CROSSdeployed two people to assist with assessments in the Philippines and activated its family tracing services.
WORLD VISIONassist 1.2 million people, including food, hygiene kits, emergency shelter and protection.
MERCY CORPSlaunched emergency response efforts to provide food, water, shelter and basic supplies to typhoon survivors.
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERShas 15 members in Cebu City and will send an additional 50 people in the next few days. It also sends 329 tons of medical and relief supplies on three cargo planes
VATICAN$150,000
IRELAND1 Million Euro
VIETNAM$100,000
NBA & NBA Players Association$250,000
PhilNews.Ph

For the complete list of international donations to the Philippines for Typhoon Yolanda Victims please check the official website of the Philippine national government by clicking here… International Donations by Countries Transparency List

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Aeta Tribe

Aeta 










The Aeta people in the Philippines are Australo-Melanesians, which includes other groups such as Aborigines in Australia; Papuans; and the Melanesians of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the French overseas special collectivity of New Caledonia.

The history of the Aeta continues to confound anthropologists and archaeologists. One theory suggests that the Aeta are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines, who, contrary to their seafaring Austronesian neighbors, arrived through land bridges that linked the islands with the Asian mainland. Unlike many of their Austronesian counterparts, the Aetas have shown resistance to change. The attempts of the Spaniards to settle them in reducciones or reservations all throughout Spanish rule failed.

According to Spanish observers like Miguel López de Legazpi Negritos possessed iron tools and weapons. Their speed and accuracy with a bow and arrow were proverbial and they were fearsome warriors. Unwary travelers or field workers were often easy targets. Despite their martial prowess, however the Aeta's small numbers, primitive economy and lack of organization often made them easy prey for better organized groups. Zambals seeking slaves would often take advantage of their internal feuding. They were often sold as slaves to Borneo and China, and unlike the debt-slavery imposed on other Filipinos, there was little chance of manumission.

The Aeta are an indigenous people who live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts of the Philippines. They are nomadic and build only temporary shelters made of sticks driven to the ground and covered with the palm of banana leaves. The well-situated and more modernized Aetas have moved to villages and areas of cleared mountains. They live in houses made of bamboo and cogon grass. Aetas are found in Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Panay, Bataan and Nueva Ecija, but were forced to move to resettlement areas in Pampanga and Tarlac following the devastating Mount Pinatubo eruption in June 1991.
Mining, deforestation, illegal logging, and slash-and-burn farming has caused the indigenous population in the country to steadily decrease to the point where they number only in the thousands today. The Philippine government affords them little or no protection, and the Aeta have become extremely nomadic due to social and economic strain on their culture and way of life that had previously remained unchanged for thousands of years.
Pampanga's first known residents, the nomadic Aetas, are a sturdy race whose history is marked by perpetual struggles against fellow man and nature. Locally known as Balugas,  Negritos or in other regions as Agtas, Itas, Aytas, the Aetas belong to the Austronesian-speaking group of Southeast Asia and Oceania. One theory states that they must have entered the archipelago through the Sunda shelf during the last glacial period via Palawan. The Aetas then distributed themselves until the far north of Luzon, Zambales and Pampanga. Early eruptions of Mount Pinatubo caused them to disperse northeast of Luzon like Bicol and Sorsogon. They also spread out to Panay, Negros and northeast Mindanao.

T'Boli Tribe


The Tboli are one of the indigenous peoples of South Cotabato in Southern Mindanao. From the body of ethnographic and linguistic literature on Mindanao they are variously known as Tboli, Tiboli, Tibole, Tagabili, Tagabeli, and Tagabulu. They term themselves Tboli or T'boli. Their whereabouts and identity are somewhat imprecise in the literature; some publications present the Tboli and the Tagabili as distinct peoples; some locate the Tbolis to the vicinity of the Lake Buluan in the Cotabato Basin or in Agusan del Norte. The Tbolis, then, reside on the mountain slopes on either side of the upper Alah Valley and the coastal area of Maitum, Maasim and Kiamba. In former times, the Tbolis also inhabited the upper Alah Valley floor. After World War Two, i.e., since the arrival of settlers originating from other parts of the Philippines, they have been gradually pushed onto the mountain slopes. As of now, they are almost expelled from the fertile valley floor.
Like their immediate tribal neighbors, the Úbûs, Blàan, Blit, Tàú-Segél and, for those who have serious doubts in the hoax argumentation, the Tasaday, they have been variously termed hill tribes, pagans, animists, etc., as opposed to the indigenous Muslim peoples or the Christian settlers. In political contexts, however, the term Lumad groups (derived from the Cebuano term for native people) has become popular as a generic term for the various indigenous peoples of Mindanao.


As the tradition of weavers started to decline, Lang Dulay, a traditional T’boli weaver in her 90s, remained steadfast, choosing to remain committed to preserving the value of the sacred T’nalak fabric.
For this, she was recognized in 1998 by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for preserving and cultivating the art of T’nalak weaving. She was given the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan award in recognition of her mastery and expertise.
The Filipino T’Boli Embroiders


Lemlunay or also known as T'Boli Tribal Festival is an annual celebration staged at Lake Sebu, South Cotabato in Philippines. It is celebrated every third week of September that features tribal ritualsthat start at early down amidst sounds of gongs and native music, culminating at the town plaza where cultural dances and ethic sports like horsefight are held.


T'boli Accessories