Bless the animals, for in this world they have no voice.
UK-based group World Animal Protection have built typhoon-resistant shelters in areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda.
According to their news release, the shelters have removable bamboo roofs that can be strapped down during a storm so they are not destroyed by high winds and extreme weather.
The government and local university in Aklan are currently looking at the project which hopefully will be replicated across the country.
The plans for the shelters, originally from Cuba, will also be shared with other nations affected by typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes, saving animals and livelihoods.
Protecting the animals that survived Yolanda was critical to helping the rural communities rebuild, as a majority of farmers faced a secondary disaster if they were to lose their animals and their livelihoods.
To date, World Animal Protection has helped over 70,000 animals affected by Yolanda, providing emergency veterinary care, vaccinations, improved shelters and housing for livestock.
“When a disaster like Yolanda hits, the survival of people and animals’ cannot be seen in isolation,” says Dr. Elsa I. Abayon from Aklan State University, who has worked with World Animal Protection in the Philippines during the course of the last year .
“They are fundamentally linked — one depends on the other for subsistence. By protecting the animals — often the forgotten victims of disasters — we are also helping the communities who depend on those animals for food, household income and transport. Protecting animals is integral to ensuring communities can rebuild following a disaster,” she adds.
