Before physically seeing the headlines of newspapers, social networks has already alerted the received news of the Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. On facebook and twitter, people had updated their status to “praying for those in the Philippines”. These statuses acknowledge that people are still struggling to survive despite the horrors that they have no place to live, lack of food and water, but most importantly the loss of family members- GRIEF.

“Typhoon Haiyan death toll tops 10,000: police”

When newspaper headlines or articles use numbers (like above and within the article) to represent the harm caused by the disaster as reality of what happened is a misrepresentation of the actual event. The article itself repetitively throw around numbers trying to translate some sort of meaning to the audience trying to imagine the situation:

“there were about 10,000 deaths on the island, mostly by drowning and from collapsed buildings.”; “The national government and disaster agency have not confirmed the figure, a sharp increase from initial estimates on Saturday of at least 1,000 deaths”; “We had a meeting last night with the governor and the other officials. The governor said based on their estimate, 10,000 died,” Soria told Reuters.

By simply attaching a number to explain the consequences of a disaster somewhat dehumanizes those who lost their lives. Each of the dead are associated to several friends and family members, yet from a worldwide audience`s perspective they are nothing but a number contributing to the amount of deaths. This current disaster happening right now as Filipino survivors struggle to recover and more importantly survive resemble the attitude “The Boys of Sudan” had during their walks, as outlined by Valentino Achak Deng in What is the What. Though the situation differs, it nonetheless shows how defeated the human race can be when faced with life threatening disasters. When family and friends are lost or dead, homes are destroyed, and memorable possession are gone, the only thing worth having is life, another day, hour, minute, or second to exist.

Nevertheless, numbers or quantitative facts can be helpful in terms of highlighting the severe  consequences that affect the general population; it garners attention and awareness if the numbers do indeed mean something to the audience it is being directed to. Sure enough the numbers captured my attention, but what mattered the most was what people are going through at this very moment and to be honest it could happen to anywhere at anytime. Most importantly  it is an environmental factor and not directly caused by the human race (although with climate change) but the real emphasis is that natural disaster are unpredictable, especially in terms of the damage it can have on people. That is why the disaster caused by the typhoon is not only the concern of the Philippines but the global community because we never know when it will be our turn to be the helpless survivors depending on global  humanitarian aid from other nations.

In addition to quantitative  types of reporting disasters, there were also particular Individuals who got the opportunity to speak or be reported. I found this article: Typhoon Haiyan survivor: ‘I was not prepared for the devastation’. The survivor Lynette Lim, was a survivor that fits under the category of privileged survivor being the “Asia Communication Manager of Save the Children”. Her account of the experience may not have been as severe as many of the other survivors because of her position in the global society and associated with a NGO. However her privilege background makes her experience more realistic to the privileged audience. Nonetheless, she is a survivor and a witness to the disaster, as she describes how “people were taking flat-screen TVs. People were looting fashion outlets and taking high-heeled shoes – anything they could get. It was hard to tell whether it was opportunistic or desperate” after the storm. In the end, the world and life that they use to know is no longer the same one; so it makes sense that the process to recovery will be a constant struggle. From situations like this, I can`t help but ask: What would I do if this happens here in my own backyard?

On the other hand, I found a local news article about a Vancouver couple‘s decision to provide humanitarian help in the Philippines. The “couple took it upon themselves to help the victims in the Philippines. Jenn and Nils planned a vacation to the Philippines months ago. However, in light of the recent disaster, they decided to go anyways; except as volunteers”. This not only makes me proud to be a Canadian but to quote Valentino Achak Deng:”belief in humanity” (What is the What “Preface” xv) is empowering. From this, I imagine that they are not the only ones who have decided to take action from their awareness of the disaster. Although, they are featured in the media, it does not mean that people have to be in the spotlight to help people out. I bet that there are people who rather go in quietly on their own without being under the spotlight of media. Therefore, contribution to the cause big or small does not necessarily matter, it is the effort that goes in that really matter.