EDITORIAL - Tragedy in Tacloban

They survived Super Typhoon Yolanda, but a woman and all of her six children did not survive a fire that engulfed their temporary shelter the other night in Tacloban City.

Reports said the blaze lasted all of 10 minutes, but it trapped the family as they slept in the canvas tent shelter in the resettlement site near the Tacloban airport. Maria Eliza Ocenar died in the tent together with five of her children, one of them a four-month-old girl. A sixth child, seven-year-old Mark, was rescued by neighbors but died later in a hospital from severe burns.

The fire was apparently set off by a toppled kerosene lamp, which is still widely used in the city where electricity and water supply systems have not been fully restored. About 40 families are housed in the resettlement area – one of several “tent cities” that were set up to accommodate some of the millions of people displaced by Yolanda’s powerful storm surge last November.

The tragedy highlights the slow recovery in the city that was flattened by Yolanda’s fury. Aid workers have noted the eagerness of the people of Tacloban and other parts of Leyte as well as the province of Samar to rebuild their lives. But rebuilding has been slowed down by the lack of basic utilities and other services. This has been compounded by bickering among officials involved in the reconstruction effort.

Among the survivors’ most basic needs is decent shelter. Too many people still live in tents. With the rainy season expected in a few weeks, the typhoon survivors are vulnerable not only to more storm surges and flooding but also to many types of illnesses. The elderly and children are the most vulnerable. Reports said more than 80 children have been born in Tacloban since Yolanda struck.

One of those newborns was Ocenar’s daughter named Jackylyn. In her brief existence, the girl never experienced life outside a disaster zone. The tragedy that befell her family should provide impetus to speed up the reconstruction effort.