Within six months of Tropical Storm Washi striking the southern Philippines in December, 1,200 affected families had moved into new Habitat houses. Twenty-three-year-old Kristine Dalay lost her mother in the storm, known locally as Typhoon Sendong. “I miss my mother very much, but I know she would want us to be happy here and rebuild our lives,” Dalay says. She and her father Wilson dedicated their Habitat house in April. Washi killed more than 1,200 people and displaced nearly 700,000 more. Habitat Philippines’ rebuilding efforts aren’t done; it has pledged to build 6,000 houses in Cagayan de Oro.
