Livelihoods at risk in Philippines
As Typhoon Haiyan tore across the eastern Philippines, coconut plantations older than the fathers of the men who tend them were smashed like matchsticks, while call centers that field customer service gripes from around the world fell silent.
After the storm
The storm that killed thousands also wrecked livelihoods in the worst hit region, a blow that will continue to cause hurt long after the disaster fades from attention.
After the storm
After the storm
The building wasn’t hit by Haiyan’s storm surge but monstrous winds peeled off iron-sheet roofing from the hangar-like structure as more than 500 people huddled within, leaving only the steel frame skeleton and soaking everything below. No one died on the premises of the company that had optimistically named itself Expert Global Solutions but some employees lost family.
After the storm
Sablay climbs tall coconut trees to collect sap from the palm’s flowers for Tuba, or coconut sap wine. The coconut palm is known in the Philippines as the “tree of life” because every part of it has a use.
Fronds are used as roofing, husks as floor cleaner or charcoal, white flesh can be eaten or processed into oil, the sap makes wine. Flowering four times a year for a harvest every three months throughout the decades-long life of the trees, coconuts have long allowed millions of people across the country to make a living.
After the storm
After the storm
After the storm
After the storm
After the storm
After the storm
After the storm
After the storm
