The Philippine province of Eastern Samar, on the island of Samar, sits astride a typhoon belt, and its badly damaged highways and potholed roads are evidence of its repeated battering. In 2007 and 2008, a series of typhoons hit the region, and already chronically poverty- stricken communities suffered delays in relief assistance, compounded by the inaccessibility of highways. In early 2007, in the town of Llorente, homes, possessions and livelihoods—livestock and rootcrops— were swept away when the river swelled to three times its size. A year later, there was even more serious flooding, which set back the little progress the people had managed. Then, in June 2008, Typhoon Frank hit the region, affecting about 3.6 million people across 49 provinces. During the severe cyclone, more than 500 people lost their lives.
