Groups helping Tacloban refugees cope with trauma

CEBU, Philippines - Each of  their tales was a horrid story that should not have happened in real life.

But well-meaning individuals and groups welcomed them in Cebu and offered them help after they fled from the torn city of  Tacloban.

They include Dr. Gigi Harner, who conducted a stress debriefing to some 35 individuals at the Tinago gym, which is one of the evacuation centers designated by the Cebu City resident as temporary shelters of around 300 families that left Tacloban last Tuesday.

She is a professional psychotherapist from the Baptist Theological College.

Ryan Rasines, a member of Helping Other People Everywhere (HOPE), said they have housed some of the refugees from Tacloban.

Rasines said they are helping the typhoon victims through a psychosocial activity conducted by local experts and in extending relief goods.

“We have volunteers from our church, 15 experts and medical psychologists, na mo- facilitate sa training. We really started with the members of the church, strengthen our members, restore them before we would extend our help to the rest of our brothers and sisters in Tacloban and Northern Cebu,” Rasines said.

He also said that the social media is very instrumental in them gathering donations for typhoon victims.

“We posted some news on FB and a lot responded, a lot of help came. So most of the donations are coming from our facebook friends and church mates,” he added.

Among those the groups helped was Roberto Labhanan, 34, a fisherman from San Jose, Tacloban City, said he floated for several hours in open sea after his house was carried away by the storm surge brought by super typhoon Yolanda.

He was hit by a huge uprooted tree and by a galvanized iron sheet blown away by the typhoon that opened a huge gash in his back.

He lost a lot of blood he was pale as a corpse when found. He survived, however, and managed to join hundreds of families who took a military C-130 plane to Cebu.

He said that before the typhoon struck, his wife and children went to a school that served as evacuation center while he decided to stay home to secure their belongings.

“Dali ra kaayo ang panghitabo, nitaas ang tubig, gihampas sa balod ang balay, naguba ug gianod. Ako naglutaw-lutaw lamang. Samtang ako naglutaw naigo ako sa dako nga kahoy ug naglupad nga mga sin, labas ang laman ng likod ko, napurohan talaga,” he said in mixed Visayan and Tagalog.

When the flood subsided, he was left lying on the street; he managed to walk afterwards despite his injury to look for his family, who were thankfully alive and safe.

He and his wife came to Cebu to seek medical assistance after doctors in Tacloban refused to treat Labhanan due to the lack of medical equipment and the inadequate facility.

Like them, Jill and Remedios Carilla, both 70 years old, came to Cebu to leave behind their “greatest nightmare.”

The couple knew their journey to Cebu was uncertain as they have no money to buy food and no relatives here from whom they could seek help.

“Wala kaming pera kasi walang natira, nasira yung bahay namin. Nagbabakasali kami dito sa Cebu baka may gamot. Kasi yung asawa ko hindi na nakakatayo dahil hindi pa nakakainom ng gamot apat na araw na,” Remedios said.

Mariz Cabarles, on the other hand, left the shattered Tacloban City after because rebels were reportedly roaming around the city.

“Just yesterday (Wednesday) nagtawag yung church leader namin, nga mag nagpinusilay sa gawas sa subdivision,” Cabarles said.

She said the city descended into chaos and disorder.

“Wala nay disiplina ang mga tawo,” she said.

“Mahadlok ka…labi naa ka dala gamay na pagkaon kay basin dunggabon ka because they will kill for food; ing-ana ka grabe ang sitwasyon didto,” she said.

Cabarles said nobody was there to impose order because even the military, the police, and other law enforcers were also victims of the typhoon.

She took exception of Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s words saying that it seemed to him that local government unit (LGU) of Tacloban was not prepared.

“We can attest nga nag-prepare ang LGU. Dili mi makatulon sa mga balita nga walay gihimo ang LGU sa Tacloban. Unfair because personally naa mi didto, we saw nga everyone was prepared for the worst typhoon.

She said she still want to go back to Tacloban to help rebuild their church even if  it means starting from scratch.— /RHM (FREEMAN)