History repeats itself, a similar tragedy happened on October 12, 1897 when Tacloban was struck by a typhoon as terrible and strong as Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).
Here’s a striking news clip lifted from Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW: 1888-1954), Wednesday 12 January 1898, page 3, which says:
7000 Lives Lost.
MAIL advices, brought by the steamer Gaelic from Chinese and other ports in the Far East, contain details of the fearful destruction wrought in the Philippine Islands by the typhoon and tidal wave during October. It is estimated that 400 Europeans and 6000 natives lost their lives, many being drowned by the rush of water, while others were killed by the violence of the wind. Several towns have been swept or blown away.
The hurricane first struck the Bay of Santa Paula and devastated the district lying to the south of it. No communication with the neighborhood was possible for two days. The hurricane reached Leyte on October 12, and striking Tacloban, the capital, with terrific force, reduced it to ruins in less than half an hour. The bodies of 120 Europeans have been recovered from the fallen buildings. Four hundred natives were buried in the ruins.
A score of small trading vessels and two Sydney traders were wrecked on the southern coast, and their crews drowned. At Gamoa, the sea swept inland for a mile, destroying property worth seven million dollars, and many natives lost their lives. The Government prison at Tacloban was wrecked, and of the 200 rebels therein half succeeded in making their escape. The town of Hermin was swept away by flood and its 5000 inhabitants are missing. The small station of Weera, near Loog, is also gone, while in Loog itself only three houses are left standing. Thousands of natives are roaming about the devastated province seeking food and medical attendance. In many cases the corpses were mutilated as though they had fallen in battle, and the expressions of their faces were most agonising.
Source: Trove Digitized Newspaper and More
It’s exactly the same thing happened last November 8, 2013, and similar things that have been going on in the past few days of struggling to survive in the aftermath of this appalling event. Maybe, it’s something to reflect on, how come we haven’t learned from the past? Or maybe, we are not aware of this at all, or we already have forgotten that it did happen in the past. Who would have thought that it happened again?
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