Preperation for the Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)

Main Road near Bantayan Cottages

When the Typhoon hit Bantayan everybody was prepared, or at least had enough warnings to get himself to a save shelter. This said, our casualties compared to other islands in the path of Yolanda (international called Haiyan) are unbelievable low.

First we got a warning around three days before the Typhoon would be near Bantayan and so preparations started immediately. Food, Matches, Storm lamps, Gasoline, Coal and Water were stored to be prepared for some days. Official warnings came just some hours later and the Mayor of Santa Fe made clear that this Typhoon will be strong.

Completely destroyed houses on Bantayan

The early on Satellite Pictures showed that the Typhoon was gaining more and more strength and indicators showed that it will hit the Philippines with Category 5, the highest Category possible for Typhoons. In these early days we had a high chance that Yolanda would miss Bantayan by 50, maybe 100 Kilometres to the north, every hour its course was moved that direction. It would be still close, but with that distance the devastation wouldn't be that enormous. When we checked in the night before the Typhoon hit, it showed already that the path of the Eye was going again back to the south and first calculations indicated that the Typhoon will be very near and would hit Bantayan around 10:30 AM.

Metal roof flown away and flattened another home

The Time schedule was correct, but over night the Typhoon's path had changed again, this time south and not just a little bit. The latest Satellite Pictures we saw, short before the electricity shutdown around 7:30 AM, indicated that the Typhoon Yolanda will be a 100% direct hit!

Some Foreigners prepared their Windows with tapes or wood against the strong wind and flying debris. But even their homes were severely damaged by the strength of the gusts and also by lots of flying debris like coconut trees, roofs and even walls.

All in all everybody could be or had to be prepared and that is the only reason that the dead toll for Bantayan Island could kept that low!