And this is the havoc that she left after Typhoon Reming.
Typhoon Reming(International Name: Durian) which arrived in the Bicol Region last November 30, created a mudslide of volcanic ash and boulders that killed an estimated of 1,000 people and destroyed an estimated PHP 274 million worth of property. (As of press time, official death toll has risen from 198 to 450, with more bodies still to be dug.)
Last December 7 to 9, UGAT staffers Kay Vardeleon and Carlos Lagaya joined the Simbahang Lingkod Bayan and the Ateneo de Manila Psychology Department in conducting psychological debriefing to the survivors of the Albay mudslide.
The SLB-PsychDept team left for Albay at around 8pm via Isarog Buslines from Cubao. It was a 12 hour drive from Manila to Albay. A team of Ateneo High School students was also present to assist the Relief operations.
At around 10:30am, December 8, the team, headed by Lyra Versoza, conducted a crash course on Critical Incident Stress Debriefing to volunteer debriefers from the Diocese of Legazpi.
After lunch, the group started debriefing in Binitayan Elementary School (evacuation center) and to survivors at the Daraga church.
At December 9, scheduled debriefings of the team had to be cancelled as some evacuation centers had to be re-evacuated in lieu of the upcoming storm. The group decided to help out the group seeking temporary shelter at the Daraga Church and engage them in one on one debriefings when possible.
The SLB-PsychDept team left for Manila at around 2pm.
Lyra, UGAT's Caloy Lagaya and Kay Vardeleon remained and met up later with UGAT volunteers Mark Antony Abenir and Nerisa Dimapilis to join with ABS-CBN Foundation's and Dreams 71's Paul, Emong and Mam Vicky. Nerisa and the Dream 71 staff started debriefing as well that morning. Further plans for debriefings had to be cancelled as well in lieu of teh re-evacuations that are going on. The ABS-CBN team continued with their relief operations, soup kitchens (shall I say lugaw kitchens) and entertaining the survivors.
The team resumed debriefings December 10-11, 2006 and had an opportunity to visit ground zero at Caraga and Sto. Dominggo, as well as converse with the survivors.
The team left for Manila at around 6pm of Monday.
