Typhoon Haiyan devastated the city of Tacloban in the Philippines after it struck on November 8. When I arrived there at the end of the month, the scene remained overwhelming: Houses were piles of scrap, trees had been ripped from the ground, and cars lay mangled. People were still pulling bodies from the debris – the death toll stands at more than 5,700 – weeks after the storm hit.
That was actually my second trip to Tacloban after the storm, which is called Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines. In the days following Yolanda's landfall, I had spent a couple of weeks there on assignment as a photojournalist, and after a short break at home in Beijing, I felt the need to return. I wanted to continue documenting what happened, because although global headlines had shifted to other world events, the situation on the ground there remained dire.
I used Instagram to document what I saw. Shooting with a smartphone has obvious constraints – it doesn’t work well in low light – but it allows you to take pictures more discreetly. Many cell towers were damaged or destroyed, but even in the early days after the storm I was able to find areas with limited coverage to upload images.
I was amazed at how warm the people of Tacloban were to outsiders. They extended their hospitality and shared what little food and water they had. I felt humbled and was struck by how people struggled for shreds of normalcy. To watch residents pluck family photos from the rubble, line up quietly for aid, help a neighbor in need, or start a game of pickup basketball revealed a lot about the human capacity for resilience.
The city of #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
A family sits on the balcony of their destroyed home in #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
The rubble. The city of #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 28, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Waking up in #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
A body bag lay in the rubble as a man salvages in his destroyed home in #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
An umbrella and captain’s hat salvaged from the rubble. In the city of #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Aerial view of the landscape south of #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda #nature #environment. December 1, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
A headless statue of Jesus Christ outside a church in #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda #nature #environment. November 30, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Sunday Mass at San Antonio Church. #samar #philippines #typhoon #yolanda #nature #environment. November 30, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
The destroyed San Antonio Church. #samar #philippines #typhoon #yolanda #nature #environment. November 30, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Digging a body out of the rubble at dusk. Near San Joaquin outside #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda #nature #environment. November 30, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Taking cover from the rain in #tacloban #philippines. November 26, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Wrecked house. #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Collecting the dead in #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Waiting to rebuild. The city of #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 28, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Digging out. The devastated city of #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer
Cleaning up debris in #Tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 27, 2013. Kevin Frayer
Street barber in #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 28, 2013. Kevin Frayer
Devastation. #tacloban #philippines #typhoon #yolanda. November 29, 2013.
Kevin Frayer