Video shot with a drone camera provides a new perspective into the carnage left by Typhoon Haiyan.
There’s brilliant writing from on-the-ground survivors and journalists who are based in Tacloban, Philippines. There’s stunning photography and many other forms of video. But this recent video shot by a drone (you can see its propellers in the bottom right of the video) moved me beyond belief. It captures perspective, depth and scope in a way nothing else has been able to do. I lived in Southeast Asia for three years, so any and all reporting on Typhoon Haiyan has tapped into some deep part of me. But this video made me gasp. Gasp at what it all must have felt like, gasp at what we’ll be able to see of war and other traumatic events in the future.
–Photo: AP
Last Sunday I had dinner at the rectory with a missionary nun from the Philippians. She was here in the US when the typhoon hit. Although much of their village was destroyed, the children and residents at their missionary were okay. Yes, the country was devastated by the typhoon but in speaking with Sr. AiIaila (spelled wrong), I found that this country has poverty that we Americans can’t imagine. We see and act on the devastation from the typhoon but completely ignore how some people live in many of these countries. Two weeks ago, I had the privileged of having… Read more »