2015 / Editorial / Environmental

Danger zone

  • Photographer
    Sungsoo Lee

It has now been over a year since the Supertyphoon Haiyan, the most devastating storm in the history of the Phillippines, swept across Tacloban. Though a year has passed, debris still remain. Typhoon Haiyan was the strongest cyclone ever recorded, with an estimate of 4.1 million people displaced and 6,300 killed. Located along the coast, Tacloban suffers more damage from this storm than other areas in the Phillippines. Despite aid, only 250 residents have been relocated. People live in makeshift wooden houses next to wrecked ships that are yet to refloat. In the project “Danger Zone,” photographer Sung Soo Lee travels to the Danger Zone, referring to Barangay 66-69 of Tacloban, Phillippines. The area has gotten its name since it was completely destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan in November, 2013. Though building is prohibited and it is a dangerous place to live, residents have come back due to lack of another home. In December 2014, when these photographs were taken, another storm threatened the Phillippines. The approach of Typhoon Hagupi lead to mass evacuation. Fortunately, the Phillippines was spared from yet another disaster.