From November 9-11, 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, rocked Central Philippines, causing destruction in key provinces such as Cebu Island, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Western Samar, Southern Leyte, Leyte, and Biliran. Entire cities, municipalities, and towns were ravaged including Tacloban City in Leyte and Guiuan in Eastern Samar.
With record high 315 km/h (195 mph) maximum sustained winds, Haiyan has claimed over 5,000 lives in the Philippines, with that number rising daily as more and more corpses are uncovered.
Earlier today Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II went back to Manila after spending two weeks in the Visayas province, declaring with relief that “the worst is over”. While the local cities and baranggays (towns) painfully tries to stand on its own two feet it will take many, many years before the environment and the people’s lives are back to normal.
Below are just some of the most chilling satellite images taken before and after the destruction caused by the Super Typhoon. The photos are interactive – simply drag the slider to switch between “before” and “after”. Image data provided by DigitalGlobe.
READ: Satellite photos of Tacloban City before and after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)