Odette's Aftermath: The Story of Nanay Nestoria

Nanay Nestoria Duru-on, 66-year old widower and a mother of eight children from the slums of Barangay Tejero, Cebu City was not exempted from Super Typhoon Odette’s wrath. She and her family evacuated to their barangay’s local school in the afternoon of December 16 before the typhoon devastated their home that evening. According to Nanay Nestoria, on the night of super typhoon Odette’s fury, she was very nervous as she could feel the strong winds ravaging the roofs of the school and the nearby houses. Nanay Nestoria was worried since she was separated from some of her family during pre-emptive evacuation as they were instructed to proceed to different evacuation sites: the local school and local gymnasium.

After the devastation of Typhoon Odette, water scarcity was one of the basic necessities that greatly affected them.. Moreover, electric lines were cut on the eve of December 16 whereas many households are asking for support to provide them drinking water, power, and even means of communication. Super Typhoon Odette has made the life of Nanay Nestoria and other families difficult to recover from its impact considering that they do not have a regular source of income. Her family is dependent on the salary of her daughter who works in a BPO company. They have been staying in the evacuation site for over a week since the December 16 pre-emtpive evacuation, without any assistance from their barangay or city except for a pack of bread that was distributed during that time.

Nanay Nestoria is just one of the many persons gravely affected by Typhoon Odette. A-PAD team is working with partners on the ground to reach severely affected communities in need of assistance.

To extend a helping hand, kindly reach out to us at info@apadph.com or (0969) 038 2696