Not far from the shipwreck was the former home of Esther del Rosario, 71, and her husband Cirilo, 72.
Salvation from the storm was provided - not by the roof over their house - but by the mangroves that Cirilo planted in their front yard.
The couple clung on to mangroves for two hours as Yolanda went on a rampage. Amid the chaos, little did they know that their two grandchildren, aged 15 and 10, and two neighbors hung from nearby branches.
Although now completely dependent on relief goods, Esther said her family is as strong as the trees that once saved them.
Esther and Cirilo joined some 300 other Anibong survivors in planting mangrove seedlings along the village coast.
Participants included others like Esther and Cirilo who hung on to mangroves during Yolanda’s fury.
Five hundred seedlings were planted that bright Saturday morning of April 26. It was the first in a series of planting activities that the participants plan to conduct along Anibong’s coastline in the coming days.
Esther believes that with their community’s small act, future generations in Leyte will also be saved.
