Almost two weeks after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck the eastern-central Philippine city of Tacloban, Irene Icao, 27, is still very emotional as she recalls in vivid detail the last seconds of the lives of her five children: Russel, 8; Joji, 6; Kent, 5; Mayjoy, 2; and one-year-old Sherly. 

Up to 10,000 people are thought to have died in the storm and millions are displaced. Her story is every mother’s worst nightmare. 

“We tried. Oh how we tried. But my husband and I just couldn’t save them. It happened so fast. As the wind howled outside, I could barely hear their cries. 

“I held the baby close to my chest as the other four children clung to my husband’s legs screaming. They couldn’t swim. 

“Then within seconds, water began surging into the room from the sea and our house began to disintegrate. The water was above our heads and debris was everywhere. 

“‘Mama, Mama,’ they screamed, as we were swept outside, but I was powerless to do anything. The water was too strong. 

“I could hear myself screaming to my husband. ‘Don’t let the children go. Hold on to them. For God’s sake, don’t let go of them.’ 

“But he too was helpless. It was simply too much. 

“Suddenly, I was forced below the water and when I resurfaced my baby was gone. 

“Then within seconds my other children’s screams stopped and there was nothing but silence. They had disappeared beneath the water and were gone. I lost all five of my children. 

“My loss? How can I explain it? I’ve lost everything. Everything I cherished. My babies are gone. My little angels. What have I got to live for? 

“They found one of my children’s broken bodies among a number of other bodies down the street. It’s in a bag now, but I can’t look at it. It’s too much for me. There are body bags everywhere and the stench is suffocating. 

“I want to leave this city. There is nothing left for us here.”

Icao’s story is being replayed tragically all over the storm swept area as aid from around the world including Canada flows in to the Philippines.

As of this week, thousands remain missing, many of whom are believed dead, according to the authorities, with many bodies of victims not yet recovered. 

Lack of communication and limited family tracing services have made the search for loved ones difficult, with many families turning to social media and other tools for help. 

According to Google People Finder, over 67,900 people have registered to look for loved ones or provide information on someone who was found. 

A government website listing those reported missing, injured, and deceased is also receiving a lot of hits. 

Meanwhile, others have taken to more rudimentary methods. 

Randy Santos brought with him to Ormoc a family picture of his brother Rolando Santos, his wife Sherly and their two children Samuel, 12 and Jeddaida, eight, to help in the search. 

“We have been trying to call him in Tacloban City, which was badly hit by the typhoon but to no avail,” he said. 

Tacloban, a two-hour ride from Ormoc is one of the areas worst affected by the typhoon, with an initial death toll of over 100 people - a figure now feared to be in the thousands. 

Those who sought shelter in evacuation centres soon found themselves in trouble after a three-metre high wall of seawater swept inland. 

Military airbases in Cebu and Manila are being inundated with requests to hitch a ride on C130 planes to Tacloban City to find loved ones. 

The scale of devastation is enormous, and local officials in Ormoc concede that their preparedness measures (evacuating over 10,000 residents living in coastal and low-lying areas) were insufficient. 

Ormoc City Councillor Ruben Capahi said the typhoon was so “extraordinary” that it destroyed 95 percent of houses in the city. 

Capahi, who lost his mother in the 1991 flash flood in this city that killed 4,000-6,000 people, said they took the typhoon warnings seriously but nothing could be done given the unprecedented strength of the storm. 

“We have experienced this before and certainly we can bounce back again,” he added. 

But that will take time, with Mayor Edward Codilla saying it may take 3-4 months before any semblance of “normalcy” can be restored. 

“What we need right now is relief assistance for more than 100,000 people displaced by this typhoon [in Ormoc],” he said. 

Tracing separated family members will be a key component of the protection cluster - in particular tracing separated and unaccompanied children. 

However, according to Allison Lopez, a communications officer with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), there are several areas such as Samar Province that relief and even rescue efforts have yet to reach, something the government has confirmed. 

“The interior secretary (Mar Roxas) said Samar was also badly damaged, but the roads are simply not accessible as of now,” Lopez said.

 

 

How you can help

 

The Canadian Red Cross announces that nine banks in Canada are accepting cash donations in support of Red Cross relief efforts in communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

Since Haiyan made landfall, the Red Cross has been working to provide urgently-needed assistance in affected communities.  This includes carrying out search and rescue operations, distributing food, and mobilizing items like blankets, jerry cans, hygiene kits and sleeping mats. 

Canadians wishing to make a financial donation can donate to the Typhoon Haiyan fund by calling 1-800-418-1111 or by giving online at www.redcross.ca.  Canadians can also visit their local Red Cross office or one of the participating banks in Canada listed below.  Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross and earmarked Typhoon Haiyan.

The following banks are also accepting financial donations to Friday, December 13, 2013:

• BMO Financial Group

• Canadian Western Bank

• CIBC

• HSBC Bank Canada

• ING DIRECT – donations can be made online directly from client accounts

• National Bank

• RBC

• Scotiabank

• TD Canada Trust

The Government of Canada will match the donations of individual Canadians between November 8 and December 9, 2013. Those funds will go into a relief fund that is separate from the Canadian Red Cross and will be administered by the Government of Canada. Funds raised through this program will support on-going humanitarian assistance in typhoon affected communities.