Time to Rebuild -- An Aidworker's Diary

On Tuesday 15th October this year, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit the Philippines. World Vision staff on the ground responded immediately and are continuing to monitor, assess and respond to the people of the area. In today's post, World Vision communicator Mai Zamora describes the experience of the earthquake, and how that motivates her to help others to recover.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see a wonderful gallery of images showing the hope and happiness that World Visions' help has brought.

By Mai Zamora, Communications Specialist, World Vision Philippines 

It was a Tuesday morning. I was in the middle of my sleep when a little voice called my name, “Mai, wake up.” I thought it was just a dream, but I suddenly heard a thunderous noise. Everybody in the neighbourhood was shouting. People were in panic.

While heading downstairs, the room was vibrating and the walls were swinging. Everything around me was plunging down — TV sets, books, cabinets and even my own stuffs but I tried to compose myself to go down safely. My housemates all looked so scared. Others were shaking. Most of us were still in our pajamas.

It sounded like a bulldozer

I’m renting a small apartment in Cebu. It’s an old wooden house built more than a decade ago. I felt the strong shaking inside the house and it took me a while to realise that it was an earthquake. I felt the strongest quake for more than a minute. It sounded like a bulldozer trying to demolish houses. Unfortunately, strong aftershocks were felt almost every minute. I got so scared. I thought about my family. who are far from me. I thought it was the end of the world.

After few minutes, fire trucks and ambulances were passing by in the streets. Debris was falling from the tall buildings. Many structures were cracked and aftershocks seemed unstoppable.

I started to feel dizzy. A lot of people standing at an open space were in panic, looking up at 10-15 storey buildings. Some of them were crying, others were holding their family members or friends and some were just going in circles probably thinking, “Is this real?”

I wish I had a button to switch off the aftershocks

Since it’s not safe to stay at our apartment anymore, my colleagues and I decided to evacuate to a safe place in Cebu. We stayed at the house of a colleague overnight. However, I didn’t have a good sleep. I wish I have a button to switch off the aftershocks. It was totally scary.

I was monitoring the news on social media. I learned that the epicenter of the quake was in Bohol. The damage there was horrible. Pictures of devastation were feeding in Facebook. I have travelled to Bohol many times, since World Vision implements programmes in the province including other areas in Visayas. The loss and devastation broke my heart. I saw the need to help.

I was thankful to survive the quake. For five years being with World Vision, supporting various relief response, I could say this one gave me so much distress. During the onset, I was sharing resources to social media while responding to interviews but honestly, I was trembling — literally and figuratively. 

The day after the quake, a World Vision response team in Visayas was deployed to conduct assessment. We’re all scared from our experiences, yet our fears didn’t stop us from being humanitarian workers. We recognised the risks but knew we should keep going. We can’t leave the families suffer more. It’s a leap of faith.

Emotionally tough

While roaming around, we witnessed different forms devastation — collapsed buildings, churches, houses, retrieved bodies, scared and anxious families. It was emotionally tough.

The night of the quake, families were temporarily seeking safe spaces on the streets. They were lining up, setting up temporary tents on a cold, dark night.

Families and children live on the rice fields while others are at the evacuation centers. A mother shared, “I thanked God for my second life. My children need me.”

Listening to the tales of the survivors is truly heartbreaking. I met a child survivor who tendered a cow while the quake happened. “I was crawling and the cow was running all around. I kept crawling until the earthquake stopped. I hugged my mother tightly when I arrived home,” the 12-year-old child says.

I feel so sorry to those who lost their loved ones. I pity the children facing the challenges living at the evacuation centers. I worry for the families who have nothing to eat. And I feel for those survivors who are anxious of their safety due to persistent aftershocks.

We will not lose hope

Despite the challenges, the survivors do not want to lose hope. They were patient falling in line to have safe, clean and drinking water even if water is a scarcity. I witnessed how they help each other too.

I wish I can put away everything what I’ve witnessed and felt during these dire times, but it seems like these are just too much. However, every plight of each survivor encourages me to help. I feel scared of the aftershocks but I don’t want to quit. I’ll stay with my team. I won’t stop until I see the smiles of the children again

We find so much inspiration from our colleauges in the field who face the dangers in the aftermath of disasters with such courage and fortitude. We cannot fail to be driven by the ceaseless labour of these men and women working to keep the communities you support safe at their greatest time of need. Leave a message of hope for the staff, people and children of the Philippines on our Facebook page.