Echoes From the Storm: Stories of Hope and Healing Among Children Survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City

This study explored the lived experiences of children in Tacloban City who lost one or both parents during Typhoon Yolanda and examined how they navigated challenges, developed coping mechanisms, built resilience over twelve years, and envisioned their future well-being. Employing a transcendental phenomenological design, twelve participants who were six years old at the time of the disaster and are now eighteen were purposively selected. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically, revealing four major challenges: sudden disruption of safety and normalcy, loss of shelter and forced displacement, socioeconomic decline and financial hardship, and interrupted education and social withdrawal. Despite these adversities, participants employed coping strategies rooted in hope and emotional survival, including endurance through acceptance and faith, as well as self-reliance and silence. Over time, these strategies facilitated the gradual development of resilience, characterized by strength built through prolonged hardship and meaning-making from survival experiences. Participants’ narratives further highlighted aspirations for stable livelihoods and education, sustainable housing, disaster preparedness, and ongoing psychosocial and financial support, underscoring the interplay between personal agency and institutional assistance in post-disaster recovery. Findings are interpreted through the lens of ecological systems theory, sociocultural theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and post-traumatic growth theory, illustrating the multidimensional impact of childhood parental loss and the adaptive processes that promote psychological and social development. The study emphasizes the importance of comprehensive disaster-response programs that address physical, emotional, educational, and socioeconomic needs, and provides recommendations for survivors, families, educators, local government units, policymakers, and future researchers to support long-term recovery and resilience.