The following is a summary of several opinion pieces from two authors published in separate blogs from The Guardian that discuss post-disaster relief efforts in the Philippines.

• Cecil Laguardia, Poverty Matters Blog: “When we touched down in Tacloban, the desolation and bleakness seemed to engulf a wide area — it was no longer the city I knew,” Laguardia, a Filipino aid worker, writes in her second post in the blog (11/26). In a previous post, she “describes challenges faced after typhoon Haiyan” (11/21).
• Caroline Séguin, Global Development Professionals Network: “With so many health facilities damaged or destroyed, the health care needs are significant, especially since the living conditions exacerbate the risk of respiratory tract infections, pneumonia and waterborne diseases,” Séguin, the emergency coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), writes, adding, “In such an apocalyptic situation, the need for mental health services is overwhelming.” She states, “Immediately following the typhoon there was an influx of organizations of varying sizes and with differing capacity to deliver assistance,’ including MSF, and notes “the Filipino people — locals and people from other parts of the country — are doing the lion’s share of the relief work” (11/25).