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Typhoon Haiyan survivor,81, rebuilds good memories through new house

by Jennina Lanza, World Vision | @aninnejleira | World Vision - Asia Pacific
Sunday, 8 November 2015 02:52 GMT

Igmedio Marikit and his wife stand in front of the house they have received from World Vision, Oct 21, 2015. Jennina Lanza/World Vision

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* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"It healed my hopeless heart" - 81-year-old Haiyan survivor says about receiving a fully constructed house after the disaster

81- year old man rebuilds good memories through his new house

Life threatening but a turning point for a new beginning- this is how Igmedio Marikit, 81, describes Typhoon Haiyan's impact on his life. In March 2015, he and his wife, Paulina, transferred to their new house.

His family is one of the 884 families which received full housing from World Vision after Typhoon Haiyan swept through the Eastern Visayas region of the central Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people and uprooting 4.1 million.

 “I am thankful with what we have received. It feels good to see my wife having agood sleep at night,” he said.

As if the typhoon happened only yesterday, Igmedio shared every detail of November 8, 2013, the day Haiyan, the most powerful typhoon ever to make landfall, struck.

Igmedio and his family preferred to stay home. Having battled and survived several disasters already, home seemed to be the most secured place to be.

“We woke up to the howling sound of the wind. My wife started to worry. I tried to stay calm but the strong winds and torrential rains almost took my courage,” he said.

Bit by bit, every part of their house was blown away like sheets of paper. The following morning, all that was left was the corner where they stayed while the storm unleashed its wrath.

“It broke my heart to see our house washed out. It wasn't just a shelter to us. It represented everything that we've worked for and every memory we've shared as a family. It's where we raised our eight children.

" In my mind, I didn't know how we could recover. We're old and our children don't have much to help. I felt so helpless."

Old and weary, Igmedio collected salvaged materials to fix the small corner that was left of their makeshift house. It served as their home for months.

“Our nights weren’t as peaceful as before. When it rained, water entered the house. My wife also became anxious especially when there were reported crimes in the neighbourhood. We (could) hardly go to sleep,” he said.

One year after Haiyan, came another storm -- Hagupit - and it destroyed their makeshift house.

“When I saw that the house I tried to rebuild was gone, I was disheartened but when I saw my wife cry, it felt like hope escaped me. We only had a small amount of savings left for our daily needs, but no enough to buy materials for our house.”

When World Vision provided assistance in their community, Igmedio was one of the beneficiaries who received a fully constructed house.

“It healed my hopeless heart. I felt excited and started imagining a peaceful life with my wife in our new home,” he smiles.

Today, Igmedio and Paulina are starting to build good memories in their new house.

The couple enjoys food vending in a nearby school. World Vision also provided them with a sari-sari store (variety store) start up. And just like the other disasters that passed, they're grateful that they survived Haiyan and they were able to withstand life’s challenges together.

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