Typhoon Tino: Counting the Cost

Roberto Atienza
Nov 5
6 min read

Updated: Nov 12

UPDATED November 6th, 2025 (read update)

"Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken." (Psalm 62:5-6, NIV)

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A weather tracker app screenshot taken the evening before the Typhoon Tino made landfall.

On the morning of Tuesday, November 4th at around 5am, Typhoon Tino roared through the middle of the Philippines. At the time of writing (the evening of November 5th), there have been 92 fatalities recorded so far in the Visayas Region, over 70 of which came from the Province of Cebu.

It was between 5 and 6am when the typhoon passed through Cebu City, and as our family stared into the blackness outside our window, all we could see were the vague silhouettes of trees being battered by winds and a thick, oceanlike rain falling from the sky. The wind rattled windows and nerves alike as we waited out the storm.

In the morning, the power and water were knocked out, but by the grace of God we were able to reach the staff of CSC and some of our close friends via cell phone. The street right outside our home was full a debris and littered with folks doing what we were doing: walking around, trying our best to survey the damage and begin the herculean task of clean-up.

Then the news started to pour in. As we were receiving texts from friends and contacts north of Cebu City (Mandaue, Consolacion, and Liloan), the situation was dire. One of our contacts who works for ShelterBox sent a picture taken from the roof of his home. He and his neighbors were all forced to seek refuge on their roofs after their homes were consumed by floodwaters! He was sending out an SOS along with so many others. Everyone was without power, and as the pictures poured in via text message, it became apparent that the flooding was widespread and the damage was unimaginable (below are just a handful of the pictures sent to us). It's almost a strange thing to think or say, but while this was a "weaker" typhoon, the immediate aftermath feels worse than when Typhoon Odette hit Cebu.

Once it became safe to do so, we ventured over to Hope House to find the smiling faces of the kids sitting on the balcony, ready to greet us. By the grace of God, all of the children and staff of CSC are safe. With the storm past us, we now look to those who are in most need of assistance, such as those in Talisay near Happy Homes, as well as the family of our staff members who were affected by flooding. By the grace of God, power and water was restored to Hope House this morning (November 5th). It has now become a sanctuary where staff and even nearby community members can charge their phones and get some much needed tap water for toilets and washing.

THE PRESENT SITUATION (Talisay and Happy Homes):

We are so thankful that everyone at CSC was spared from the worst of it. However, the Mananga River (the river that kind of separates Tabunoc and Talisay) became a disaster zone. If you've ever been to CSC Happy Homes, then you have crossed the bridge over the Mananga River and driven on the road that runs parallel to it. In fact, CSC Happy Homes is less than 200m away from the banks of this river (as the crow flies). During the typhoon, the banks of this river, along with almost every other river in Cebu, overflowed and swept away homes and families. Our workers at CSC Happy Homes, and pretty much everyone that lives south of the Mananga River, had become completely separated from Cebu City.

Praise be to God for the amazing people He has brought to serve at CSC. The men and women of God who serve the children keep this ministry moving, even in times like this. A couple of days before the storm, several Aunties volunteered to stay at the Shelter overnight on November 3rd. They had done this so that they wouldn't have to commute on the morning of the storm, and so that they could be there for the children in the morning, regardless of what the transportation situation looked like outside. They chose to be apart from their families in Happy Homes so that they could serve, selflessly, at CSC.

After the typhoon hit, the river became impassable. Between the workers that volunteered to stay ahead of storm as well as those who became stuck because of the situation at the river, about 20 additional staff in total are now living at CSC. By the grace of God, and thanks to the planning and cooperation of everyone at the Shelter, we have enough food, supplies, and beds for everyone.

UPDATE (November 5th, 2025): As of today, 20-30 individuals are taking refuge in the Multi-Purpose Room of CSC Happy Homes in Talisay. These are victims of the overflow of the Mananga River. To paraphrase what one of the residents of Happy Homes, Maribel, said to me, "immediately after the typhoon past, I went outside to check the damage. Usually, on one side of the road are many houses, but now next to the road was only space enough for one house, and immediately behind that house was the river. It had come up and filled the area where many homes used to be." After talking with Pastor Fred and the others at CSC Happy Homes, the residents there immediately reached out to the local officials to let them know that they would be opening up their multi-purpose room to provide shelter and relief. CSC itself is providing food for these families through our Calamity Fund, and we've already made the first delivery of rice and canned goods this afternoon in one of our Kia L300's. Hats off to our driver, Uncle Edwin, who managed to drive that vehicle down there despite the difficulty.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Please pray with us for the people of Cebu. There is a lot of work ahead and we will do our best to provide updates for everyone on how things are going.

Please pray for the older kids at CSC. While we will be able to resume classes tomorrow at our school, CCHS, all of the local high schools and colleges will remain closed for an indefinite period of time, or will be switching to online classes after the end of this week. Please pray that our kids will be able to transition and adapt well in this unique situation.

It seems oddly selfish to ask, but please pray for our family as well. We haven't made this widely known, but when we returned to our home in Cebu on October 22nd (after our Home Assignment in the US), we found water all over our first floor. The earthquake that struck Cebu on September 30th seemed to have caused a pipe to break. After spending a few days cleaning that up, the typhoon came through. By the grace of God, our family has taken it in stride and still managed to hit the ground running, but we know such things can have an affect on us and our kids, even if the effects aren't readily apparent.

Thank you all and God bless!

Photos below by Jacqueline Hernandez, taken in Barangay Bacayan, Cebu City.

UPDATE (November 6th, 2025):

This afternoon, Juana and Roberto joined the Rotary Club of Cebu for relief efforts at the City of Talisay Sports Complex as well as Barangay Tabunok. The Sports Complex is not far from CSC's Happy Homes and hosts hundreds of victims of the flooding around Mananga River. Both levels of the Complex were filled with families who had lost their homes, belongings, and livelihoods. The tremendous scale of the calamity was evident in the number of people gathered at both locations.

The relief came in the form of drinking water, handed out in 20L containers. This was important because when water tankers came to the site from fire departments and other government agencies, most people no longer had useable containers to store clean drinking water. These containers would have been a blessing even if they were empty, but fortunately the Rotary Club of Cebu brought a truck with a large water tank for both locations. There were also food packs and bags courtesy of Virginia Foods, donuts donated by Dunkin' Donuts, and underwear, which also donated by the Rotary Club of Cebu. Including underwear in the relief goods was intentional and deliberate. After speaking with local officials, it became clear that thanks to the efforts of others, most of the families already had mats (banig) and blankets. But these families had lost all of their clothing and belongings in the flood, and they were in dire need of clean, dry undergarments. This became apparent when, as we announced the aid to be provided before the distribution, there were only mild cheers for the water and food, but when we said we had underwear, the crowd erupted in applause and gratitude.

Lessons learned from this first relief effort, as well as what we know from the condition around CSC Happy Homes, will help to guide and direct future efforts to provide relief, help to rebuild, and restore lives. As we help CSC's employees and head north for more relief, we will continue working with the local government to sustainably address the most immediate needs of the people.