Last week, the Philippine government and the World Meteorological Organization predicted that Hagupit could become the second super typhoon to make landfall in the Philippines in 13 months.
Typhoon Haiyan left more than 6,000 people dead and 4 million displaced from their homes when it hit the country on Nov. 8, 2013. Hagupit was projected to hit many of the same areas that were devastated by Haiyan and are still struggling to recover. Life remains precarious in the aftermath of Haiyan, with many in the region unable to regain previous income levels and continuing to live in inadequate or unsafe shelter. The stage was set for a tragedy of historic proportions.
While not as powerful as originally projected, Hagupit was still a ferocious storm, pummeling the Eastern Visayas region with sustained wind speeds of 125 miles per hour. Yet it would be wrong to suggest that Filipinos owe their survival to good fortune with the shift in weather.
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About the author
Ray Offenheiser
Ray Offenheiser is president of Oxfam America. With more than 30 years of international development experience as a field programmer, grant-maker and executive in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the United States, Offenheiser is a recognized leader on issues such as poverty alleviation, human rights, foreign policy and international development.
