The Tacloban Chronicles: Nightmares

Children fetch water in one of the communities in Tacloban affected by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Photo by the author

The nightmares started the night I came home from Leyte. Each time I closed my eyes, I could see the massive devastation all around me, hear the stillness in the conspicuous absence of the sounds of nighttime commerce, or smell the stench of death. I could feel despair emanating from the wreckage of whole communities ruined in an instant, as I saw people walking or standing around me with blank stares and faces devoid of hope.

I would wake up, drenched in sweat or tears. The covers on the bed are in total disarray, and as soon as I fell back asleep, I would experience hell all over again.

Coconut trees are stripped of their leaves by Yolanda's powerful winds. Entire coconut plantations in the town of Alangalang in Leyte are affected in this way, taking away the primary industries and livelihood of the region's agriculture-based towns. Photo by the author.

Life goes on for this family amid the ruins of their home in Alangalang, Leyte. Photo by author.

An affected community in Jaro, Leyte, Photo by the author.

Whole mountainsides are stripped bare of their foliage in the town of Palo, Leyte. Photo by the author.

Even a concrete house is not spared by Yolanda's fury. Photo by author.

Utter devastation in one of the coastal communities of Tacloban. This scene is a recurring theme in my dreams of late. Photo by the author.

I never got to know this man, who stood dazed for an hour or so beside the road in Alangalang town in Leyte, probably uncertain when he will wake up from the nightmare they have been in since Yolanda struck. Photo by the author.