Manila, Philippines, Nov 24, 2018 / 16:59 pm
On average, the Philippines is hit by 8-9 tropical typhoons per year. These storms can cause significant damage - but they rarely reach the magnitude of 2013's Typhoon Haiyan.
Today, half a decade after Haiyan, the country continues to rebuild from one of the strongest tropical storms ever to make landfall.
"Five years after the disaster, tremendous progress has been made. It is still possible to see the scars of Typhoon Haiyan if you look closely enough, but much of the infrastructure has been repaired and is fully functional," Matthew McGarry, a sub-regional country representative for Catholic Relief Services, told CNA.
"Many individuals and communities still carry the trauma of the storm, however, and the most vulnerable have had difficulty rebuilding their homes, restoring, their livelihoods and resuming their lives."