How People in the Philippines Are Coping After Typhoon Mangkhut

Lynzy Billing
September 28, 2018
Scenes from the devastation—and snapshots of the individuals working to rebuild.
Leo Abad, 59, has already begun work fixing his home. He says it will take a month to fix.

Snapped palms, flattened crops, and fractured roads mark the route to Cagayán, a province on the northern end of the Philippines. This area was pummeled by Typhoon Mangkhut, which made landfall on September 15th, binging with it torrential downpour and winds up to 165 mph. In its wake, the storm left over 100 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes.

A majority of the people in the areas of the country most affected by the typhoon work as farmers and fishermen. For many of them, the storm wiped away not just their homes, but also their livelihood. In the farming town of Baggao, acres of crops have been lost. In addition to Baggao, the municipalities of Aparri and Tuguegarao are believed to have been the hardest-hit areas of Cagayán.

The Philippine Department of Agriculture estimates over one million acres of agricultural land have been affected by the typhoon, and agricultural losses could reach at least PHP 16.8 billion ($267 million in American dollars).

“Right now, we can stretch as far as our budget will stretch,” said Leonardo Pattung, mayor of Baggao. “We need help from outside organizations. I really need them to help me.”

It’s been over a week since Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall in the Philippines. Still, many local residents are waiting for aid to arrive; in the meantime, some have started rebuilding on their own.

“We were hit hard,” says one farmer near Baggao. “We may have lost everything but we still have our lives.”

Below, scenes from the devastation—and snapshots of the individuals working to start anew.

A house lies overturned outside Baggao, a farming town in the northern Philippines where Typhoon Mangkhut first made landfall.
A house lies overturned outside Baggao, a farming town in the northern Philippines where Typhoon Mangkhut first made landfall.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

A petrol station lies toppled in Tuguegarao, Cagayán.
A petrol station lies toppled in Tuguegarao, Cagayán.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

A house lies overturned outside Baggao.
A house lies overturned outside Baggao.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

“We were hit hard. And some of us were luckier than others. We may have lost everything but we still have our lives, we will rebuild our homes and grow new crops,” says one farmer, working his fields just outside the town of Baggao.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Elinor Banadero, 52, says the typhoon
Elinor Banadero, 52, says the typhoon “has stolen my home from me. I have no savings. This house cannot be fixed. The damage is too bad, I will have to build a completely new home.”

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Maya Banadero, 34, stands in her home in Aparri.
Maya Banadero, 34, stands in her home in Aparri. “We lost everything but not a single life in Aparri. I thank God for that,” she says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

The roof of Maya Banadero's home lies next to the foundation.
The roof of Maya Banadero’s home lies next to the foundation. “We only built this home four months ago,” she says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Leo Abad, 59, has already begun work fixing his home. He says it will take a month to fix.
Leo Abad, 59, has already begun work fixing his home. He says it will take a month to fix.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Fransisca Racho has lived in her home since 1962.
Fransisca Racho has lived in her home since 1962. “I did not evacuate, I wanted to stay with my home and try and protect it during the storm,” she says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Jose Asedo's home sits close to the sea, making it a target for potential deadly storm surges. He has lived here for 15 years. Today, he put a sheet of tarpaulin over the space where his roof once was.
Jose Asedo’s home sits close to the sea, making it a target for potential deadly storm surges. He has lived here for 15 years. Today, he put a sheet of tarpaulin over the space where his roof once was. “I am just waiting now. Waiting for help. What is important is food and water. No one has come to bring aid yet. But the worst damage is to the houses,” says Jose, 72.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Sira Alfonso, 20, and one-year-old Carolyn Joy were in their house with seven family members when the typhoon hit.
Sira Alfonso, 20, and one-year-old Carolyn Joy were in their house with seven family members when the typhoon hit. “This is the second Typhoon to damage our walls and ceiling. Can you smell that, damp? The water is locked in the walls now,” Sira says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Pilar Ranada, 84, woke up as the roof of her home was collapsing. Ranada lives alone and didn't know where to turn for help.
Pilar Ranada, 84, woke up as the roof of her home was collapsing. Ranada lives alone and didn’t know where to turn for help. “People are dealing with their own damage, so who am I to ask them to come and help me? But I hope someone sees my name and comes to help me rebuild,” she says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

In a town outside Tuguegarao aid has yet to arrive, Mildred Santos says.
In a town outside Tuguegarao aid has yet to arrive, Mildred Santos says. “Whoever can help first, whether it be international help or from our government, we will be grateful. We need building materials. We are desperate to start over.”

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Sixteen-year-old Calvin John Caballo lost half of his roof to the typhoon.
Sixteen-year-old Calvin John Caballo lost half of his roof to the typhoon. “I will start building today and this time I will build a stronger roof and a stronger house for my family,” he says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Rowana Basilio, 46, stands inside her home in Aparri.
Rowana Basilio, 46, stands inside her home in Aparri. “The roof was taken by the typhoon but the pigs survived,” she says, gesturing toward the three pigs in her backyard.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Jerry Serrano, 41, lost two acres of corn during the typhoon.
Jerry Serrano, 41, lost two acres of corn during the typhoon. “My home and my source of income is gone, in a matter of hours,” he says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Maria Serrano, Jerry's daughter, says that farmers are most affected by the typhoon, as many did not manage an early harvest before it hit.
Maria Serrano, Jerry’s daughter, says that farmers are most affected by the typhoon, as many did not manage an early harvest before it hit. “We were reliant on the corn from my father’s fields, but now it is all gone,” she says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Vicky Romillio Verzoso, 58, stands in her bedroom.
Vicky Romillio Verzoso, 58, stands in her bedroom. “The typhoon ripped the roof off and blew out the glass windows,” she says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Clean-up begins in Aparri after Typhoon Manghut tore through its streets.
Clean-up begins in Aparri after Typhoon Manghut tore through its streets.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

A farmer tries to save the corn left standing after Typhoon Mangkhut ravaged her fields.
A farmer tries to save the corn left standing after Typhoon Mangkhut ravaged her fields.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Floriza Buenavista, 37, was hiding in her house with 12 family members when the typhoon hit Baggao.
Floriza Buenavista, 37, was hiding in her house with 12 family members when the typhoon hit Baggao. “We knew a storm was coming but we did not believe it would be this big,” she says. “We get many typhoons and we did not believe what the government told us on the TV.”

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

Sasana Raquini, 18, stands in her home in Aparri, which lost both its walls and roof. Today, she is cleaning up alone as her father and brother are out fishing.
Sasana Raquini, 18, stands in her home in Aparri, which lost both its walls and roof. Today, she is cleaning up alone as her father and brother are out fishing. “I am hopeful that the government will help,” she says.

(Photo: Lynzy Billing)

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