Many large ocean-going ships were blown ashore in Tacloban by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. The sight of these ships and the destruction around them was so compelling that I returned to this area many times to take pictures. On this day, I hit the video button on my camera and let it run as I – very carefully – walked around on top of the debris field.

Note that the sheets of galvanized tin I walk on near the beginning is actually the roof of a building. That gives some idea of how deep the debris is that’s piled up on all sides. I shot this video on December 7, 2013, a full month after the typhoon. It’s hard to believe but how this area looks in this video is a marked improvement on how it looked after the typhoon. People have been removing debris, collecting and sorting useable wood and tin, and rebuilding a lot.

 

 

Tags: Philippines Bike Trip 2013, Super Typhoon Yolanda, Tacloban, typhoon