A humanitarian worker’s close encounter with Typhoon Haiyan

Story by Karen Rivera, Haiyan Response Communications

Grace Baloro believes she was born to be a humanitarian worker. 

Growing up in the province of Bicol, Philippines, she lived with the menacing threat of Mt. Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes and the ominous threat of typhoons that frequent her province.

In the midst of the chaos and destruction of her childhood, Grace witnessed how her mother would rush headlong to reach out to members of their community. These circumstances would shape and launch her career in humanitarian work.

In her 17 years of working with World Vision, Grace thought she had seen it all.  But nothing would prepare her for the wrath of typhoon Haiyan.

Here is Grace’s story.

Call of duty

“A week before typhoon Haiyan, I was set to leave for Bohol, to take part in the response for earthquake survivors. I had a heavy heart leaving my three kids (JJ 13, Marie 12 and Kairos 3) with their nanny because my husband, who is also a humanitarian worker, was also going away for a trip. 

“There was news of a coming super typhoon, but the call of duty can’t be ignored.  We left the kids with a supply of food and water and left instructions to the nanny to prepare their quick run bags in case things got worse."

“It was decision that would haunt me and my husband in the ensuing days.”

The deafening silence

On November 8, 2013, super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit Tacloban City and other parts of the Visayas region.  Ferocious winds and the sudden rise of sea water wrecked havoc on Tacloban City and provinces of Samar, Panay and the northern tip of Cebu. In an instant, it changed the entire landscape of Tacloban, the city that Grace and her family had settled in and called home.

“I kept calling my children and nanny starting at 6:30am of November 8 but their cell phones just kept on ringing. By 7am all the numbers I knew in Tacloban were dead. Panic and helplessness started to creep in as colleagues who are also from Tacloban reported the same. We were tormented with worry."

“Then came the afternoon and evening news of what was happening in Tacloban. I was numbed with worry with reports of extensive devastation. We decided to go home to Leyte, as soon as typhoon signal and travel restrictions were lifted in the morning. It was one agonizing night that we couldn’t wait to be over."

The long trip home

After taking a boat to Leyte, two days after the storm Grace and colleagues started for Tacloban. The trip that normally takes a 2 to 3 hour drive, would take hours as their rented van drove through the destruction and mayhem along the road. In Tanauan, a damaged bridge forced them to abandon the vehicle and continue on foot.

“We were silenced by the devastation that slowly unfolded along the way. The nearer we got to Tacloban, the bigger the devastation we saw. We started walking together with so many people. There were long lines of cars moving at a crawl. People were walking like zombies. Children were asking for food, crying. Men and women were at loss looking for their lost/missing love ones. The stench of death was everywhere. [We saw] dead people all around the roads we were passing through together with so much garbage from the ocean. The heat was terrible. There were no trees standing around. People were also looting bags of rice in the area we passed through."

Bargaining with God for the lives of her children

“The world seemed to stop spinning for me and reality sunk in. It was that moment that I offered to God the lives of my 3 children and nanny. It was that moment that I told God that whatever happened to my kids Lord, I would accept everything but He must prepare my heart for the inevitable. I prayed that He would not let this day pass without me reaching our home."

“I was able to hitch a ride on a motorcycle from Tanauan and reached Palo at 5 in the afternoon. From there, I was able to hitch a ride again to Tacloban. The scene of destruction in Tacloban was worst than what I passed through in Tanauan and Palo. There were more dead people on the road, the stench of death was heavier."

“The closer I got home, the lighter I felt. I no longer felt tired. Another prayer began to form in my lips. I said, Lord if you give my children and nanny a second chance in life, if I see them alive and safe tonight, I would still serve you in Tacloban.

“A block away from home, l saw the flickering lights coming out of our home. In the darkness, I heard the sweetest sounds I thought I would never hear again.  The voices and laughter of my 3 kids and their nanny while having dinner with my husband, who had managed to secure a flight home from Manila.”

After arriving home

Grace’s house sustained damage from Haiyan. In the subdivision where they live in, a five foot high wall of water engulfed homes. Grace’s children and nanny are lucky to have survived, unscathed. The next day, Grace and family scrambled for the first flight out of Tacloban to Manila. They left with nothing but the clothes on their back. 

Her children continued on with their studies in Manila. In April, they started the repair work on their home in Tacloban.

Grace is currently a team leader in Haiyan Response in Tacloban. Her family has returned to Tacloban.