From the photos it looks like Super Typhoon Yolanda left a horrific path of death and destruction on Leyte and Samar Islands. My destination is neighboring earthquake stricken Bohol Island were power and water were restored today according to reports. And some good news about All Hands Volunteers Project Bohol who I'll be working with.
Philippines tourists and volunteer travellers help out after typhoon Haiyan
On the popular tourist island of Bohol, international volunteers had only just started a project to rebuild homes in the wake of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in mid-October, when the typhoon struck.
The US-based non-profit organisation responsible for the project, All Hands, vowed to continue its work, with its volunteers returning to work today after bunkering down over the weekend.
"We have resumed our earthquake response work on Project Bohol clearing rubble and deconstructing houses," the organisation posted in an update.
After three weeks on Bohol I was planning to go to Coron Town on Busaungua Island. But on Friday the eye of the Super Typhoon's eye passed right over the island drowning three residents devastating Coron Town, and completely destroying the Busuangua's airport terminal and control tower.
I just finished waterproofing a new pair of steel toed work boots as I pack for the journey. My flight leaves in exactly one week (to the hour) from now. I'll spend a night in Manila, then fly on to Bohol the next morning.
Project Bohol
In response to a vast need for “safe-ing” structures, we will work to take down precarious homes that owners and neighbors are afraid to enter. We will also do deconstruction in order to salvage valuable materials for rebuilding, and we will be clearing rubble. Pending funding, we envision a rebuild program that includes constructing resilient core shelters on the affected homeowners’ properties.
You can help cover All Hands Volunteers costs to help me and other volunteers like me get this daunting task done. All their volunteers pay their own way to get there and back so the money is used to keep the operation going.
Help All Hands Volunteers cover the costs of my three weeks working with Project Bohol