Photographing Climate Change

This woman lost her son and daughter-in-law and several children. The surviving granddaughters are now in her care. Photo by Jeff Pearcy.

Professional photographer Jeff Pearcy will present a first-hand account of Typhoon Haiyan’s devastation in the Philippines at the Climate Change Coalition of Door County’s monthly program on June 3. While a single weather event cannot be tied directly to climate change, scientists agree that as the planet warms, super-storms will occur more frequently. Pearcy’s talk begins at 7 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County, 10341 Water St., Ephraim.

Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda, made landfall in the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, with the lowest barometric pressure on record. The Island of Leyte acted as a barrier island and absorbed a storm surge of more than 30 feet. In just 12 hours, more than 6,000 people were killed on that island alone. The typhoon followed a path across 14 islands, with sustained winds of more than 200 mph. It stripped jungles of all vegetation and destroyed farms, villages and the fishing industry.

One of the relief agencies responding was the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). It collected and distributed more than $1 million, funding projects in mountainous and rural areas where the devastation was extreme. The UUSC sent Pearcy to the Philippines 10 months after the typhoon to document the impact of relief efforts, the incredible recovery achieved to date, and the continued need.

Pearcy will tell the story of this storm’s devastation with photographs and personal reflections from his visits to 12 sites on six islands. The program is free and open to the public.