At the Danger Zone

“Every day, the people of the Danger Zone live in the midst of debris. Half-collapsed houses make up a small town surrounding a landlocked ship. The remains of Typhoon Haiyan can still evident in the Danger Zone in Tacloban, Philippines.

The Danger Zone was given its name when it became completely destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan in November, 2013. Because of its precarious location in case of another typhoon, and the debris that remains, building has been forbidden in the area. Despite this, residents have resettled there because of a lack of any other place to go. In fact, of the 70,000 residents living in places designated as Danger Zones, only 250 of have been relocated to a safer home.

The process of cleaning up the Danger Zone still continues after more than two years. The giant ship in the middle of the houses is still being torn apart, one metal plate at a time. This picture depicts two workers with squares of metal in the background.

The impact of Typhoon Haiyan has yet to be completely overcome; even so, residents live in constant fear of yet another typhoon that may send things back to square one. December 2014, when these photos were taken, Typhoon Hagupi was approaching the Philippines, leading to a mass evacuation where, fortunately, no one was hurt.”