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An original audio story series led by Mario Soriano

You can find Carried by Water on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music. and iHeartRadio.

Carried by Water is an audio series that explores stories revolving around water as a force of nature, a resource, and a pillar of well-being.

Super typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013. It remains one of the strongest and costliest storms ever recorded, with up to 20-ft (6-m) tall storm surges, more than 6,000 known casualties, millions of people displaced, and up to 15 billion USD in damages.

In this first season of Carried by Water, "Super Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda, 10 Years On,” we explore the socio-cultural legacies, scientific advances, and political lessons learned in the decade since the disaster through field-based research and the development of multimedia stories.

Over the summer of 2023, the research team conducted interviews among affected communities in Leyte and Samar islands, as well as with technical experts in government institutions, disaster practitioners, and academia. The team examined long-term public and scientific framings about Haiyan / Yolanda and how they relate to ideas of home, nation, resilience, diaspora, global change, and local futures.

The project includes a podcast series complemented by a virtual gallery and scholarly articles. Through these parallel explorations, the project will distill important lessons learned from this complex disaster.

Credits

Created and hosted by Mario Soriano with research, writing and production support from Patrick Jaojoco and Braeden Carroll. Mixed by Braeden Carroll. Carried by Water is a production of Blue Lab with support from Princeton University.

Sincere thanks to Kouvenda Media for their partnership on this project.

Season 1: Super Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda, 10 Years On

You can find Carried by Water on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music. and iHeartRadio.

Episode 1: A Cluster of Clouds Over the Pacific

What was it like to forecast a history-making super typhoon that experts described as “off the scale” and “the most powerful storm to ever make landfall”? Super-typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Central Philippines ten years ago today. In this inaugural episode of Carried by Water, we hear from PAGASA, the Philippine weather agency, about how Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) compelled forecasters to break institutional protocols to warn the public in time and posed novel challenges for communicating the impending storm's severity. We also learn from risk communication researcher Inez Ponce de Leon about what the diverse communities in Haiyan's path most needed from official warnings, and with climate scientist Jane Delfino we contemplate the future of extreme weather in a world shaped by climate change.

Meteorological history of Haiyan/Yolanda and PAGASA’s forecasting domains (Philippine Area of Responsibility, Tropical Cyclone Advisory Domain, Tropical Cyclone Information Domain); Doksuri/Egay also shown for context. Acronyms: JTWC- Joint Typhoon Warning Center, JMA- Japan Meteorological Agency, PAGASA- Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration. PHT- Philippine Time. (Data source: NOAA IBTrACS)
Meteorological history of Haiyan/Yolanda and PAGASA’s forecasting domains (Philippine Area of Responsibility, Tropical Cyclone Advisory Domain, Tropical Cyclone Information Domain); Doksuri/Egay also shown for context. Acronyms: JTWC- Joint Typhoon Warning Center, JMA- Japan Meteorological Agency, PAGASA- Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration. PHT- Philippine Time. (Data source: NOAA IBTrACS)
Population affected by Haiyan/ Yolanda (total per province). Overall, 16 million people were affected by the super typhoon in the Philippines. (Data source: NDRRMC)
Population affected by Haiyan/ Yolanda (total per province). Overall, 16 million people were affected by the super typhoon in the Philippines. (Data source: NDRRMC)

Episode 2: If We Called it a Tsunami

Super Typhoon Haiyan seared the meaning of “storm surge” into Filipino minds, but in 2013, authorities were criticized for using this term instead of “tsunami”, which was more familiar at the time. We hear from disaster scientist and Project NOAH director Mahar Lagmay on what went into the public warnings for the storm surge. Survivors Mario Peñaranda and Algina Lacaba recount their firsthand experiences of the surge in Tacloban City, and Brando Bernadas reflects on the city's efforts to improve its disaster risk reduction and evacuation protocols since the storm. Anthropologist Pamela Cajilig shares how pride and poverty influenced people’s evacuation decisions, and Nobuhito Mori, Lea Soria, and Phillip Lapidez shed light on the particular geography and history that make Tacloban vulnerable to catastrophic storm surges.

Downtown Tacloban City, showing locations mentioned in EP02.
Downtown Tacloban City, showing locations mentioned in EP02.
Storm surge heights. Heights were maximum along the coast facing the Pacific Ocean and along the tip of the funnel-shaped San Pedro Bay. Data source: JSCE-PICE Typhoon Haiyan joint survey team.
Storm surge heights. Heights were maximum along the coast facing the Pacific Ocean and along the tip of the funnel-shaped San Pedro Bay. Data source: JSCE-PICE Typhoon Haiyan joint survey team.

Episode 3: They Said that Cancabato Bay is Already Dead

One response to Super Typhoon Haiyan has focused on building physical infrastructure. How has this approach reshaped people’s relation to the open sea and coastal ecosystems? We hear from experts and a grassroots group calling for a change to this dominant paradigm.

Guests
  • Dakila Kim Yee, University of the Philippines- Tacloban
  • Ladylyn Lim Mangada, University of the Philippines- Tacloban
  • Jonathan Anticamara, University of the Philippines- Diliman
  • Nobuhito Mori, Kyoto University
  • Bayani Cardenas, University of Texas at Austin
  • Brando Bernadas, Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
  • Mano Roque, Mana Milagros, and Mana Gilda, Paraiso Mangrove Eco Learning Park Marine and Wildlife Sanctuary

Episode 4: Away from the Hazards

This episode revolves around resettlement. In the aftermath of Yolanda, local officials instituted a ‘No Build Zone’ policy for residential structures along the coast and made a decision to relocate survivors to a distant inland site called Tacloban North. We hear lived experiences and expert views on how this focus on retreat from physical hazards of the sea neglected social and economic realities, particularly for fisherfolk who were disconnected from their livelihood. We also learn about the current struggles of communities at resettlement sites and about an alternative, people-driven project that relocated survivors closer to the city.

False color composite map (band combination: near infrared, red, green) of Tacloban in 2013.
False color composite map (band combination: near infrared, red, green) of Tacloban in 2023.

False color composites (band combination: near infrared, red, green) of Tacloban in 2013 and 2023. Locations mentioned in EP4 are also shown: 1.) GMA Kapuso Village in Tacloban North, 2.) Pope Francis Village in Barangay Diit, and 3.) M/V Eva Jocelyn Shrine in Barangay Anibong. Insets show close-up views of: 1.) GMA Kapuso Village and 2.) Pope Francis Village. The 2013 image was captured in August, months before Yolanda’s impact, while the 2023 image was composited from images taken in April and August to eliminate cloud cover. Resolution of the 2013 image is 30-meters, while that of the 2023 image is 3-meters. The false color scheme shows built-up areas as cyan hues and vegetated areas as red hues. These images show the growth of resettlement sites for Haiyan survivors, particularly in Tacloban North. Newly built communities in Samar island (seen below the insets) also stand out in the 2023 image. Maps created by Mario Soriano.

Episode 5: An Organized Chaos

As images of Haiyan’s destruction flooded the media, an outpouring of humanitarian aid and volunteer responders from around the world descended into the affected regions to help. This episode is about the legacies of the monumental humanitarian effort that mobilized in the wake of Haiyan’s devastation. We’ll learn about NGO contributions to immediate relief and sustained efforts toward permanent housing. We’ll also hear about challenges in coordinating this massive response that led to inequities in aid distribution. Finally, we’ll hear how a mobile truck bar helped locals and foreign volunteers connect beyond a benefactor-beneficiary dynamic.

Guests
  • Peggy Sy-Jiang and Gem Marielle Lim, Tzu Chi Foundation
  • Doc Anton Lim and Cocoy Torrevillas, Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation
  • Jacques Palami, entrepreneur in Tacloban
  • Ela Atienza, University of the Philippines Diliman
  • Brando Bernadas, Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
  • Edgar and Geneve, residents of Great Love Village in Palo, Leyte
  • Eddie, boatmaker in Marabut, Samar

Episode 6: We Are Used to Storms

A decade has passed since Super Typhoon Haiyan's devastation. The mass media spotlight has long shifted to other disasters. In a region regularly battered by storms, what is the importance of talking about the lessons from one particular event? This episode, we’ll hear different voices discussing the role of preserving the stories of Yolanda to foster a culture of preparedness for present and future generations. We’ll also learn about different visions and aspirations for resilient shelter, and hear about the roles of culture and ritual in collective healing from the trauma brought by the storm.

Guests
  • Mariel Uy, Manila Observatory
  • Aaron Vicencio and Veejay Villafranca, Ateneo de Manila University
  • Joycie Dorado Alegre, University of the Philippines Tacloban
  • Pamela Cajilig, Curiosity Design Research and University of the Philippines Diliman
  • Jaime Hernandez, University of the Philippines Diliman
  • Carmi Macapagao, Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc.
  • Dan Matutina, Plus63 Design Co.
  • Jacques Palami, entrepreneur in Tacloban
  • Eddie, boatmaker in Marabut, Samar
  • Julita, tikog weaver in Basey, Samar

Special Episode: What Does Resilience Mean to You?

During our field work in the Philippines, we saw and heard one word wherever we looked: Resilience. The term proved to be both aspirational and controversial, depending on who we asked. To wrap up this season, we present a montage of our interviewees defining resilience both in the context of their recovery from typhoon Yolanda and in their lives today.