Classified as Category 5, Bopha, or Pablo, as it is locally called, pulverized Northern Mindanao at the speed of 250 km/hr last December 4, 2012.
90% of the population are farmers and fisherfolks. Many kids were sent to school because of copra. It takes 7 years to grow a coconut tree. The community is estimated to fully recover after 10-12 years. No one can afford to send anyone to college until then.
Desolation in Cateel
the once busy town of Cateel, Davao Oriental is now nothing but a pile of debris
Families affected by typhoon in Davao Oriental
A father awaits transportation to go to the hospital for his sick kid. During the first days after the typhoon, first aid was prioritized to those who have open wounds and infections. His daughter was suffering from fever for three days now and is in risk of severe dehydration.
two sisters are waiting for relief goods and medicine
Saving every clothing they can find amongst the debris. There was continuous rain in the area for days after typhoon– (and without shelter) soaking the residents and their children for 36 hours.
a family taking shade from what’s left of their house. The government is still planning housing/shelter clusters for the victims.
Kinablangan / Ban-ao
Med mission last December 18-19, 2012 in Kinablangan and Ban-ao was sponsored by Tzu Chi Foundation Zamboanga. The med mission catered to more or less 600 patients. The Tzu Chi doctors did check up, cleaned/stitched wounds, injected TT, and helped 5 babies from severe dehydration.
a 4-year-old boy patiently waits for his mom to come back with meds for him
the girl did not realize that her finger got cut off during the typhoon. All the while thinking it just got infected until the Tzu Chi doctors treated her.
the old woman’s husband patiently stands at the back while his wife is waiting to be treated. I wonder what he is thinking knowing his wife (the lady on the right), compared to the lady on the left, bears a larger, graver open wound on the head.
most of patients in the med mission that has open gaping wounds in the head are women in their 50’s and 60’s