Representations over a Tropical Storm Disaster and the Restoration of Everyday Lives for Urban Poor Victims in the Philippines

In this paper, the urban poor victims of a natural disaster caused in the Philippines by Typhoon Ondoy in September of 2009 are examined. Focus is put on the steps taken before the disaster and restoration period of the marginalized people of Metro Manila as well as the way these people conduct their everyday lives. Whenever a natural disaster occurs in the Philippines, there is the belief that natural disasters are the act of God and that both the rich and poor suffer damage equally. However, this conceals the awkward truth of the social structure in the country; the poor are more vulnerable, less privileged, and have little access to resources, as proven by the Ondoy disaster. In this paper, the author describes how these marginalized people dealt with the typhoon and what practices were seen during the restoration phase.