Written by: Madison Wuu
Visual by: Chiara Valenzula
The Philippines, home to nearly 110 million people, is highly vulnerable to typhoons and other natural disasters. These typhoons have the capacity to wreck homes and structures, elicit power outages, and interfere with school systems and student education.
Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the deadliest disasters to strike the Philippines in 2013, affecting 26 million people and claiming the lives of at least 8,000 people. Not only did Typhoon Haiyan's catastrophic destruction result in death, but also colossal displacement for many families and many more inflicted struggles. The total economic impact of Typhoon Haiyan's is estimated at 5.8 billion dollars. During this typhoon, approximately six million workers lost their sources of income. Major areas producing rice, maize, and sugar for the Philippines were destroyed, affecting the international trade and incomes of farmers in the region.
After Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, many families had a rough time getting back on their feet, which made it difficult for students to seek forth an education. Typhoon Haiyan caused severe destruction to 3,200 schools and daycare centers, and many other schools were quickly transformed into evacuation centers. Consequently, because schools are severely damaged or used as shelters, this can cause education to be disrupted for many Filipino, local students. In response to this massive drawback, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) supported schools in highly affected areas with 7,894 teacher kits along with 165,850 learning materials, 1,225 bookcases complete with library sets, and 1,602 blackboards. This stream of supplies enabled UNICEF immediately after the typhoon to set up temporary classrooms.
When typhoons hit, the impact on children and families can be devastating. Typhoons can force families into shelters with nothing more than clothing on their backs, and have a fear of what is yet to be discovered when they return home. Aside from their homes, the loss of school infrastructure can disrupt schooling for an extended period of time, especially if buildings and facilities are permanently damaged or left unrepaired.
Typhoon Ulysses, a strong and deadly Category 4-equivalent typhoon that occurred in early November 2020, is another more recent typhoon in the Philippines. According to the military, this super typhoon is said to have caused the worst floods in Metro Manila since Ketsana in 2009, cutting power to millions and leaving at least 39 dead and 22 missing. The Department of Education quotes, “A partial report on the impact of Ulysses showed that 1,190 schools sustained infrastructure damage, requiring P3.7 billion for rehabilitation and reconstruction.”
In response to the devastating aftermath, various organizations have launched relief drives for victims of Typhoon Ulysses including For the Future, League of Filipino Students, Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, and many others.
Bringing children back to learning became an immediate priority in order to prevent severe disruption in childhood education. However, this could be a very daunting vision to achieve when taking into account the fact that the Philippines is a country highly prone to typhoons, thus causing immeasurable destruction of homes and livelihoods.
Works Cited
Cabato, Regine. “Typhoon Vamco Batters the Philippines, Leaving 39 Dead and Millions without Power.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 13 Nov. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/typhoon-vamco-manila-damage-flooding/2020/11/12/fe05667e-248d-11eb-9c4a-0dc6242c4814_story.html.
“Information on Disaster Risk Reduction of the Member Countries.” Asian Disaster Reduction Center（ADRC）, www.adrc.asia/nationinformation.php?NationCode=608&Lang=en.
Mateo, Janvic. “P9 Billion Needed to Repair Typhoon-Damaged Schools.” Philstar.com, Philstar.com, 19 Nov. 2020, www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/11/20/2058159/p9-billion-needed-repair-typhoon-damaged-schools.
Staff, CNN Philippines. “LIST: Donation Drives for #UlyssesPH.” Cnn, www.cnn.ph/news/2020/11/13/Donation-drives-UlyssesPH.html.
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