HODR & Operation Smile

The last few weeks have certainly caught up with me. I am writing from my sick bed fighting an awful bug, and sniffling my way through a leaky nose. Thankfully, my body was able to hold out until after I got back to Manila from the Operation Smile medical mission in Cebu. Prior to that, I found myself on an overnight trip to Baguio (which thankfully turned into two nights). Then back to Manila for a couple of days before flying out to Legazpi City to join the Hands On Disaster Response (HODR) volunteers in Barangay San Isidro for a week. Then back to Manila for another couple of days before heading out to Cebu with Operation Smile.

Click on image above for HODR photos in Albay Province.

I always seemed to have a hard time waking up at 6:00AM in NYC, London, or HK, to don on a suit and pantyhose (yes! I did for those of you who did not know me during that lifetime!); but there was no escaping the crowing roosters bellowing away at 5:30AM daily in San Isidro. It was go, go, go! We were out the doors at by 8AM to either tarp or dig lahar. The treat at the end of the day was electricity from a generator set from 5PM to 10PM; a shower in either an outdoor shower or indoor shower; dinner at 6PM sharp prepared by San Isidro’s own Marisa; and, warm beer hurriedly chilled over ice till lights out. Then it was back to bed in sleeping bags over air mattresses tucked into mosquito nets. Just be sure to have your headlamps ready at your side in case you need to make a trip to the loo in the middle of night.

On my first morning in San Isidro, I thought I’d take it easy on my back and lay out tarps on roof tops. I quickly became bored with tarping and went to dig out lahar from the corner of a house instead. When I arrived at the house the first afternoon, I told Tim that something was decomposing underneath that pile of lahar and debris. Two days later, I came upon what looked like a femur. A few minutes later Tim discovered a vertebrae and then what looked like a scapula. All looked too small to be human, and we all hoped it wasn’t human. Soon enough Tim, perched above the buried kitchen, discovers some ribs which turned out to be from a decomposing dog.

There were 20 volunteers when I left San Isidro – all were foreigners who flew out to join HODR when word got to them of the group’s project in San Isidro. They came from all walks of life: a bartender from south London, an ex-corporate banker from London, an Irish electronics engineer who used to work in Silicon Valley, a retired Scotsman who used to work in shipping, a caterer from Seattle, a freelance writer from Brooklyn, a pair of engineering consultants from New Zealand, an investment management executive who quit his job with one of the top investment management firms in NYC to help out the residents of San Isidro. A number of them had joined HODR in their other projects in Biloxi, Mississippi (Hurricane Katrina), Thailand (2004 tsunami ), and Indonesia (Yogjakarta earthquake). By the time the daily evening meeting came to a close on my last night, nearly half of the them had indicated that they were willing to stay until the project ends on April 1st.

Unfortunately I had to leave and return to Manila and then to Cebu for Operation Smile. This is an amazing operation that has been in existence for the past 25 years. Also notable is that Op Smile’s first ever mission was conducted here in the Philippines, in Naga City 25 years ago. Every year an international mission sets out to perform hundreds of surgeries on underprivileged children with cleft lips and cleft palates all over the world. This year’s international mission was held simultaneously in Bacolod, Cebu and Davao with a team of foreign and local surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and pediatricians.

I was amazed at the energy of the international crew who, despite jet lag, managed to plow through hundreds of screenings on the first day, and through an average of 45 surgeries per day. Even more amazing was seeing how the parents reacted after their child was operated on and their cleft lips/palates are repaired. As someone said in Cebu, they thought they’d do these missions for 5 years tops. However, as each year comes along more and more children seem to seep out of from hiding and head out seeking help and hope from Operation Smile’s medical teams.

It has certainly been an interesting month. The only problem is that whatever weight I lost while digging out lahar in San Isidro was quickly replaced by “crispy pata”, “lechon” and whatever else sweet native delights the MSY Foundation pulled out of their magic Cebuano hats.

Related Links

Typhoon Reming (Durian) – The Aftermath

Flipland – Typhoons

Flipland – Relief Operations

Typhoon Reming (Durian) – The Aftermath

Click on the image above to view more photos.

It’s been two weeks since typhoon Durian crashed through the central part of the Philippines severely damaging the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Marinduque and Catanduanes on November 30. The province of Albay was hit with the highest casualty/missing list, as hundreds of tons of lahar and volcanic debris were swept down from the slopes of Mayon volcano and buried entire villages in its path. Bamboo and thatched roof homes, as well as adobe and concrete structures were no match for Durian’s winds of up to 230kph which blew through the area for nearly a whole day (as compared to typhoon Milenyo’s two hours onslaught in Manila), and its 466 millimetres of rainfall. Communication links to most of the area has been severely incapacitated. Legazpi City, Albay and its immediate surrounding areas have been able to get mobile networks running while the others are still very spotty at best. It’ll be a dark holiday season as utilities attempt to repair fallen power and telephone lines. Hundreds are homeless: over 330,000 people in Camarines Sur alone; other sources are quoting nearly 1.54 miliion people have been affected – mostly in the Bicol region.

In Albay province, provincial authorities are focusing on taking care of those who survived the onslaught. Casualty/missing count may reach the thousand mark – with many remaining unidentified or missing as hundreds have been swept away by floods or buried under several feet of lahar. UNICEF, Red Cross, international donors have stepped in to help with relief efforts.

However, much more needs to be done for the long term as relief transitions into rehabilitation/reconstruction. Over 2000 schools have been damaged and their books/learning materials destroyed. Affected individiuals who survived just barely made it with the clothes on their backs, but their source of income (farming) have been buried under mud and volcanic debris or just simply blown away.We are nearing the end of the Philippines’ typhoon season. While in Albay last week, people prayed that not another typhoon would hit. Two days ago typhoon Utor came through and thankfully it was nowhere near as ferocious at Durian. It headed south of the Bicol region, it managed to cancel the ASEAN summit, and it managed to cause damage to the tourist island of Boracay. Being one of the prime tourist attraction for the country, Boracay is well stocked with generators and people motivated to clean up to gear up for holiday makers. Not so the case with Bicol and the areas hit by Durian.

Chasing Mayon

Click on image above for more photos.

After a 10 hour drive through winding roads, and possibly the worst stretch of highway that has been under construction since the ’90s (at least that is what I am told), we finally arrived atop Lignon Hill at 5:30AM on Tuesday, August 8. Mayon was just peeking out from behind a cloud cover and it would only be a few hours before it would be fully hidden from the prying lenses of the media. Alert level 4 was issued on Monday prompting forced evacuations of villages within the Mayon Volcano’s extended danger zone. Off we went to see the deserted villages and hopefully sneak a peek at Mayon and some lava flows. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we were all left wondering how to get past the cloud cover to get a peek at the volcano. We did get to go up to the lava wall that had been slowly creeping through the Bonga Gully and this is what a volcano outing looks like for the Philippine press corps.

Thankfully we arrived in Manila safely at around 7:30PM on Saturday evening after departing Legazpi at 6AM. An ABC 5 TV crew was not as lucky. After covering President Arroyo’s visit to Legazpi City on Saturday morning they headed back to Manila on the same stretch of road that we took. Somewhere in Pamplona, Camarines Sur their van was rammed into by a speeding passenger bus. I saw the video footage on the early morning news today. There is no way anyone could have survived that crash. Except for that stretch in Quirino (Andaya Highway) most of the roads, although one lane either way, are fine and well paved. However, safety issues abound with speeding passenger buses and cargo trucks whose handlers perceive themselves to be Formula One race car drivers. Worse, there is a perception with provincial drivers that turning off one’s headlights at night while driving will help conserve fuel.

Guinsaugon , then the "coup"

The night before I decided to get out of St. Bernard. A lot of noise was being heard about rallies being held and another coup possibility. The 20th Anniversary of People Power/EDSA I was this weekend and I decided to cover it, in case something happened. Capt. Parmer and Gunnery Sgt. Ray, US Marines PAOs for the Balikatan exercises, came through and arranged for me to be on the first chopper flight out of St. Bernard. I then rang up my Air Force contacts to check if there was another C-130 transport plane I could hitch a ride on. Unfortunately not. It was 10PM and I still had no idea how to get back to Manila from Tacloban. Patrick and Marites were nowhere to be reached, but finally Trina rang back and I begged her to get me on a PAL flight out the next day. Thanks to her, this solved the logistical problem of my “Amazing Race”-like trip to Leyte.

While still at St. Bernard we heard that Col. Danilo Lim was arrested and that a coup had been “thwarted” in Manila. In the meantime, the Taiwanese rescue team, as well as the US and Philippine troops were mobilizing at base camp to head out to the site to try and search for the ever elusive school house. The rains may have washed away the earth burying the school house roof making it visible, but at a location estimated to be approximately 330 metres from its original site. By this morning, it was decided that the terrain leading to the original school house site was too dangerous and recovery operations were to be restricted to the lower elevation of the disaster area.

It was about 10:30AM when we finally touched down at the Tacloban airport. The Spanish K-9 rescue team had flown in one chopper, and I was in the second one with Red Cross volunteers who had spent the entire week at St. Bernard tirelessly searching for the lost residents. I immediately ran to the PAL ticket office to get my ticket and while waiting in line watched President Arroyo declare a “state of emergency”. Well, at least I was in Tacloban. I checked in my backpack with K&K’s sopping wet tent attached to its bottom bound by duct tape, then went to lunch. The “Amazing Race” travel bit was nearing its end, but I still had to figure out how to get to Villamor Air Force Base where I left my car parked in front of Base Ops. Manila was on heightened alert. I was pretty sure that base security would not have let in stinky, gear-laden moi with her mud-caked Gortex boots set even her big toe into its perimeter.

While waiting for the luggage carousel to disgorge my duct taped backpack, SMS messages came flying in that the EDSA rally had been dispersed and that Cory was the Paseo de Roxas triangle. I was able to get a taxi relatively quickly, headed for Villamor and was lucky to get in touch with my contact there to get me in. Leyte was done. Now it was time to check out the rallies and figure out what was going on.

Click here for photos.

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Guinsaugon Landslide 01

Guinsaugon Landslide 02

Guinsaugon Landslide 03

Guinsaugon Landslide (03)

It rained all through the evening and it was still pouring when the camp stirred to life. By 7AM rescue teams set out for the sodden site to search for the school building. By 9AM US Sea Stallion choppers were busy buzzing back and forth between the base camp and the site. A decision was made to extricate the Taiwanese and the US Marines who were at the site. The rains had made the ground dangerously unsafe and and its terrain ever changing. Two Taiwanese rescuers had to be pulled out from the muck, but not before insisting that the chopper pull up a corpse they had unearthed from the area. Marines were soon pulled out and by noon Gen. Ramos ordered the suspension of search and recovery activities for the day.

The team the Red Cross sent out was heading back when they came upon a body that had been dug up by another rescue team. In the other team’s haste to pull out, they decided that it would be unsafe for them to bring the body back with them. Leo, the Red Cross field leader, then ordered his team to bring back the body with them.

I hopped onto a payloader to cross the river and check out the forensics team identifying the bodies. There were about 14 bodies that had been recovered over the last few days and a sickeningly sweet stench pierced the air. I forgot to bring my mask and ended up on the wrong side of the wind. There was child amongst the bodies; most were naked or had their clothing snipped off for inspection. I kept trying to think about how I was feeling about being up close to this scene, but nothing seemed to kick in. I just kept taking pictures, but I guess that was a way to distract myself from the reality of it all.

On a happier note, a US Marine Sgt. Kemp Miller was reunited with his long lost grandfather who lives in Jaro, Leyte. Miller had been sent back to his ship when he got word that his grandfather was looking for him and was making the 6 hour bus ride to base camp to see him. His superior officers allowed him to return to base camp and at about 10AM this morning, both were engulfed by a hungry media looking for a story. They both gave the obligatory interviews and then retired into a tent where Miller shared MREs with his grandfather.

By the mid-afternoon I found myself at the evacuation center at St. Bernard. The school housed about 4 neighboring barangays that were evacuated from the vicinity. During the day, the locals would return to their homes to retrieve personal items. However, those I spoke to would rather be relocated out of fear of being confronted with this tragedy again. I asked what they needed most – most said, “Money.” Sending relief goods is the humanitarian act to do; but, most of these goods may end up in the markets to be sold, even at a discount, just so the recipients can get some money to re-start their lives.

US Marines were scattered all over the place attracting crowds of young children brimming with curiousity, and hoping to practice their English language skills. Helicopters dropped into the grassy field in front of the school every 20 minutes or so, disgorging more personnel or more relief goods. Further up the road was the St. Bernard Municipal Hall – the operations base for the LGU and the US Marines.

Leyte was lucky that Balikatan exercises were scheduled for the same week. As soon as word of the tragedy broke out, the US command diverted troops away from the exercises and into search and rescue missions. Troops from the engineering corps could be spotted along muddy roadways and river banks dumping gravel or setting up make shift bridges to facilitate access to the areas. Lines of Marines linked up to dig and move rocks. The Chinooks and Sea Stallions were an indispensable in ferrying rescue teams, volunteers, the media and even some members of the Philippine Armed Forces to and from Tacloban. The Philippine Army was present and in charge of the field operations, while the US was to provide assistance and support wherever it was needed. However, the impact of the Army’s presence paled in comparison to the efficiency and the urgency which was projected by the US contingent.

Click here for photos

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Guinsaugon Landslide (1)

Guinsaugon Landslide (2)

Guinsaugon Landslide (02)

7:22 AM —- I have not had coffee nor breakfast. I am sitting on the floor, in the rear of a Philippine Air Force C-130 transport plane leaning against an assortment of bags and boxes of relief goods bound for Tacloban, Leyte. This is the first leg of the trip that will eventually take me to St. Bernard to the site of the Guinsaugon disaster. There are about 50 relatives of surors and victims of the Guinsaugon tragedy crammed into the hull of this flying tin can. The rest are media people and Philippine Air Force personnel. I think I chose the wrong spot. I could feel the bags and boxes pushing against me as we take-off for out flight.

10:22 AM — Step 1 completed: We’ve arrived at the Tacloban airport. It’s hot! I have to keep hydrating myself and I quickly feel the weight lightening off my camel back as I take sips from the hose. I’ve got another 6 pack of water in my backpack to keep me going these next few days, but at the rate I was swigging water I fear that I may have not brought enough.

We are waiting at the VIP Lounge. This air-conditioned area has been turned into the US Marines’ airport command post. Fatigue-clad personnel scurry about talking into radios and carrying boxes of all kinds. In the middle of the room, boxes of MRE’s are stacked up against a planter box for easy access. And for once, military efficiency has made going to an airport’s women’s toilet a pleasant experience by making sure that toilet paper, paper towels and soap have been all provided.

Two Indonesian Air Force planes arrived bearing relief goods and rescue personnel. Outside, US Marines and Philippine Army troops load a truck with mineral water and fuel for generator sets.

In between lulls of activity, a US Marine take in the sight from the tarmac and click off a few shots on their digi cams. Several members of the media, a Turkish rescue team, an Army PAO and myself are all waiting to hear what time we can hitch a flight out to St. Bernard on a Chinook helicopter. We were given a pre-flight briefing and Step 2 of the travel leg is nearly done. Next thing to do is to find a place to sleep in tonight.

2:00 PM — After nearly 20 minutes circling off the coast of St. Bernard we finally arrived at the St. Bernard base camp site. I gingerly make my way through the soft and mushy ground being careful not to keel over from all the weight I am carrying. As soon as I get closer to the camp, I see CNN’s Hugh Rimington discussing the situation with some other people. Out of nowhere I hear someone say, “Hey cuz!” It was Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, running around with CNN.

Tents are pitched all along the river bank. Four wheel drive vehicles compete with military vehicles for access on the narrow dirt road in and out of camp. It is disorganized organization and it’s difficult to ascertain who is in charge. The American presence is overwhelming. Fatigue green is the color of the day. Gigantic bladders with “Drinking Water” stenciled on it are attached to filtration systems. I went to look for the Philippine National Red Cross and their K-9 team and found them on a spot along the river next to the US medivac area. I immediately pitch Kath and Kevin’s tent next to the Red Cross’ tent. The sun was still out, but gray clouds were looming over the horizon and soon enough they would hit us. At about 3PM I leave base camp with two Red Cross volunteers to head out for Barangay Magatas.

The most immediate access way to the site is to cross the river; however, the walk is torturously long through mushy earth. We chose to access the site via Magatas from where we walked for about 30 minutes along a dirt road. As soon as we reached the periphery of the landslide area the change in scenery was striking. Officials estimate that about 20-30 metres of rock and earth blew out from the top of the mountain and buried . I was now looking straight into a barren landscape of volcanic soil and boulders instead of lush green rice fields and coconut covered slopes. Locals say that they heard rumblings that sounded like heavy machinery or helicopters before the mountain top exploded and spewed out what they thought was black smoke. It turned out to be soil and rocks which eventually rained down upon Guinsaugon.

We made our way to a site thought to have been the original location of a school house where over 200 children and their teachers were trapped in. Several rescue teams and experts had converged around the site and dug a deep hole had been dug up. A geologist team was scanning the area, but still no luck. Slowly I realize that no matter how sophisticated the equipment or how efficient a rescue dog’s sense of smell is, the amount of earth that has been piled atop this area is just way too much of a challenge for any of the experts or optimist to compete against.

Dusk was setting in and the Red Cross volunteers were recalled back to camp. We hitch a ride with a dump truck that was ferrying gravel. We needed to cross a river with a torrential current and got stuck in the middle. A US marine wades out and hitches us onto a tractor to pull us out of the current and we head back to base camp. Dinner was at the municipal gym which was taken over by the Red Cross as it base ops. I’ve had two bites from a protein bar all day and was feeling a wee bit hungry. Canned goods cut open with a spoon were passed around. After a long day in the heat and being on your feet all day long, a can Fiesta Ham (if that’s what it’s called) with rice is like a gourmet treat to cap off the day. It began to pour heavily in the late afternoon and everyone is drenched to the bone.

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Guinsaugon Landslide (1)

Guinsaugon Landslide (3)

Guinsaugon Landslide (01)

Landslides seem to be the dominant event in the news in the Philippines this week. Yesterday, it was reported that heavy rains resulted in a landslide in Negros Oriental; the day before that another was reported in Zamboanga. However, it has been the landslide in St. Bernard in southern Leyte that has dominated the headlines. So massive was the destruction when the entire mountainside buried an entire village that it deflected attention away from the “Wowowee” stampede disaster about 2 weeks ago that it hardly figures in the local news anymore.

Rain and bad weather seems to be hanging over the disaster area making rescue efforts difficult. Search and rescue dogs from the Philippine Canine Search and Rescue Foundation, Inc. were deployed on Saturday morning. Bad weather forced the team to be transported by land rather than by helicopter and it took them nearly 6 hours to reach the area from Tacloban City. Text messages were flying around yesterday that 50 survivors were found. Unfortunately it was just a rumour and the possibility of finding survivors decrease exponentially everyday. Most are now searching for corpses instead. So far, 94 deaths have been confirmed with more than 1000 more listed as missing.

More sophisticated search equipment is needed to sift through and dig through all the mud and the debris. I guess, fortunately for the Philippines, US forces are in the country for “Balikatan” training exercises. Apparently a total of 5500 US troops are in the country for training exercises – 3000 have been re-deployed to Leyte to help local and international serach and rescue teams in the area.

I’ve just found out that I am scheduled out on a C-130 transport flight to Leyte at 7AM tomorrow morning. Hopefully this pans out. Apparently, that flight is being prioritized for the dependents/relatives of victims/survivors in Leyte. Seven other media personnel and 3 PAF personnel are also listed for the flight. Looks like step 1, getting there, is pretty much set. Step 2 is getting to St. Bernard from Tacloban. Step 3 – finding a place to sleep: well I’ll have to figure it out when I get there. I’m off to pack my sleeping bag and to borrow a tent.

Click here for photos

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Guinsaugon Landslide (2)

Guinsaugon Landslide (3)

Infanta Flash Floods (2004)

Click on the image above for photos.

On 29 November 2004, flash floods swept through Infanta, Real and General Nakar in Quezon Province. Residents talk about how cold, turbulent waters swelled to heights of 15-20 feet and swept through their barangays in a span of three hours. Rice fields, homes and everything in its path were destroyed by the mud and logs that accompanied the flood. With the only road leading into the area blocked by landslides, Infanta was isolated for nearly a week. With no electricity, communications, drinking water, or food Infanta residents had to rely on relief to be brought in by air, weather permitting. Access by sea was dangerous at best. Inclement weather made for big waves and the coastline was blocked by tons of logs that ended their journey along the coastline.

“Kung walang mga troso, ‘di ganoon kalaki ang tubig.” (If there were no logs, the flood would not have been that big). This was a common sentiment amongst the people of Infanta. Survivors tell a common tale of having to completely disrobe so as not to be weighed down and drowned by their mud-laden clothes; of crawling their way to rooftops or tree branches atop dangerously floating logs; of punching holes through ceilings to escape rising flood waters; of swimming in turbulent waters as torpedo-like logs battered them; and, of waiting for daybreak atop whatever safety they could find only to find their homes completely washed out or buried in mud.

Thousands became homeless. Schools were not re-opened until mid-January as they had to be dug out of mud and cleared of debris. Most of Infanta’s residents were left with no means to generate income. The majority of agricultural land and irrigation canals remain buried in mud rendering them useless. Desiltation is ongoing and is emptying out in the estuaries destroying marine life and fishing areas. Housing is a problem and most of those affected are uncertain of what prospects they have for relocation or for housing materials.

As the the first quarter of 2005 draws to an end, the biggest challenge facing relief organizations, government and NGOs is how to maintain the momentum for giving as the relief phase shifts into rehabilation and recovery. Food security is the biggest problem as the residents of Infanta have had their entire livelihoods washed out by the flood.