November 2013: TYPHOON HAIYAN

In the early morning of November 8, 2013, a devastating typhoon hit the Philippines.
The cyclone, officially named Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as “Yolanda”) registered at an 8.1 on the Dvorak scale, which is unprecedented, reaching wind speeds of 195 miles per hour.
Unlike Hurricane Katrina, in which the intensity of the storm and water levels took 24 hours to reach their peak, the storm surge in the Philippines only took minutes to reach its full velocity along with 20 feet of water.
Immediate aid was difficult to deliver because so many of the airports, freeways, and bridges had been destroyed by the storm surge.

Death and Injury

The death toll was about 6,300, and about 27,000 people were injured.
Over 3.9 million people were displaced from their homes and over 16 million were affected.
After the typhoon, many people were without access to food, water, and healthcare. Over the next several months, millions of dollars were poured into the Philippines for medical supplies, food, and minor shelter supplies from countries all over the world, including the United States.
Unfortunately, the re-development of housing has been a slow process, as many of the people do not have the skill nor adequate materials to speed up the progress.
In addition, the government created new laws prohibiting the use of land up to a certain distance from the shoreline. This has caused many inhabitants to struggle to find a place to call home.

One of the initial psychologically impactful things that many outsiders may not have been aware of is that many survivors of Typhoon Haiyan faced the stress of fulfilling their basic needs: finding food, drinkable water, medical care, and shelter.
Because of the mass destruction, it was extremely difficult to reach survivors during the most critical time, immediately following the typhoon. This can lead survivors to feel a sense that the world does not care about them or doesn’t understand how bad things are for them, which can be a traumatic experience.
In addition, once the survivors are able to reach their loved ones, family members can experience vicarious trauma, which may make it difficult for family members to give adequate support to the survivors.
Many survivors were afflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as they struggled to find some sense of normalcy in the aftermath of one of the most destructive Typhoons on record.