The Philippines is a disaster-prone country,1 ranked as the second highest country worldwide at risk of natural disasters. 2 On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (local name “Yolanda”) made landfall in the Philippines and had significant impact. 3 It was the strongest typhoon to have ever made landfall in the western North Pacific Ocean with a storm surge of 5–6 metres. 4 Typhoon Haiyan left a corridor of destruction across the Philippines and affected the lives of 16 million people, devastated a health system and challenged every sector of the country.3 Regions 6, 7 and 8 – Western, Central and Eastern Visayas – were the most affected.