Carried by Water

What was it like to forecast a history-making super typhoon that experts described as “off the scale” and “the most powerful storm to ever make landfall”? Super-typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Central Philippines ten years ago today. In this inaugural episode of Carried by Water, we hear from PAGASA, the Philippine weather agency, about how Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) compelled forecasters to break institutional protocols to warn the public in time and posed novel challenges for communicating the impending storm's severity. We also learn from risk communication researcher Inez Ponce de Leon about what the diverse communities in Haiyan's path most needed from official warnings, and with climate scientist Jane Delfino we contemplate the future of extreme weather in a world shaped by climate change. Copyright 2023 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.

Super Typhoon Haiyan seared the meaning of “storm surge” into Filipino minds, but in 2013, authorities were criticized for using this term instead of “tsunami”, which was more familiar at the time. We hear from disaster scientist and Project NOAH director Mahar Lagmay on what went into the public warnings for the storm surge. Survivors Mario Peñaranda and Algina Lacaba recount their firsthand experiences of the surge in Tacloban City, and Brando Bernadas reflects on the city's efforts to improve its disaster risk reduction and evacuation protocols since the storm. Anthropologist Pamela Cajilig shares how pride and poverty influenced people's evacuation decisions, and Nobuhito Mori, Lea Soria, and Phillip Lapidez shed light on the particular geography and history that make Tacloban vulnerable to catastrophic storm surges. Copyright 2023 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.

One response to Super Typhoon Haiyan has focused on building physical infrastructure. How has this approach reshaped people's relation to the open sea and coastal ecosystems? We hear from experts and a grassroots group calling for a change to this dominant paradigm. Guests: Dakila Kim Yee, University of the Philippines- Tacloban Ladylyn Lim Mangada, University of the Philippines- Tacloban Jonathan Anticamara, University of the Philippines- Diliman Nobuhito Mori, Kyoto University Bayani Cardenas, University of Texas at Austin Mano Roque, Mana Milagros, and Mana Gilda, Paraiso Mangrove Eco Learning Park Marine and Wildlife Sanctuary Copyright 2023 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.

Carried by Water explores stories revolving around water as a force of nature, a resource, and a pillar of well-being. In our first season, we examine the lessons learned and lived legacies from Super Typhoon Haiyan/ Yolanda, a historic hydrometeorological disaster which hit the Philippines in 2013, and we shed light on narratives about the complicated and still ongoing process of recovery. Copyright 2023 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.

This episode revolves around resettlement. In the aftermath of Yolanda, local officials instituted a ‘No Build Zone' policy for residential structures along the coast and made a decision to relocate survivors to a distant inland site called Tacloban North. We hear lived experiences and expert views on how this focus on retreat from physical hazards of the sea neglected social and economic realities, particularly for fisherfolk who were disconnected from their livelihood. We also learn about the current struggles of communities at resettlement sites and about an alternative, people-driven project that relocated survivors closer to the city. Guests: Brando Bernadas, Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Ted Jopson, Tacloban City Housing and Community Development Office Ladylyn Mangada, University of the Philippines Tacloban College Ela Atienza, University of the Philippines Diliman Aida Vidal, FRANCESCO Consortium/ Pope Francis Village Dexter, Algina, Estrella, and Philip, Tacloban City residents Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.

As images of Haiyan's destruction flooded the media, an outpouring of humanitarian aid and volunteer responders from around the world descended into the affected regions to help. This episode is about the legacies of the monumental humanitarian effort that mobilized in the wake of Haiyan's devastation. We'll learn about NGO contributions to immediate relief and sustained efforts toward permanent housing. We'll also hear about challenges in coordinating this massive response that led to inequities in aid distribution. Finally, we'll hear how a mobile truck bar helped locals and foreign volunteers connect beyond a benefactor-beneficiary dynamic. Guests: Peggy Sy-Jiang and Gem Marielle Lim, Tzu Chi Foundation Doc Anton Lim and Cocoy Torrevillas, Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation Jacques Palami, entrepreneur in Tacloban Ela Atienza, University of the Philippines Diliman Brando Bernadas, Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Edgar and Geneve, residents of Great Love Village in Palo, Leyte Eddie, boatmaker in Marabut, Samar Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.

A decade has passed since Super Typhoon Haiyan's devastation. The mass media spotlight has long shifted to other disasters. In a region regularly battered by storms, what is the importance of talking about the lessons from one particular event? This episode, we'll hear different voices discussing the role of preserving the stories of Yolanda to foster a culture of preparedness for present and future generations. We'll also learn about different visions and aspirations for resilient shelter, and hear about the roles of culture and ritual in collective healing from the trauma brought by the storm. Guests: Mariel Uy, Manila Observatory Aaron Vicencio and Veejay Villafranca, Ateneo de Manila University Joycie Dorado Alegre, University of the Philippines Tacloban Pamela Cajilig, Curiosity Design Research and University of the Philippines Diliman Jaime Hernandez, University of the Philippines Diliman Carmi Macapagao, Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. Dan Matutina, Plus63 Design Co. Jacques Palami, entrepreneur in Tacloban Eddie, boatmaker in Marabut, Samar Julita, tikog weaver in Basey, Samar Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.

During our field work in the Philippines, we saw and heard one word wherever we looked: Resilience. The term proved to be both aspirational and controversial, depending on who we asked. To wrap up this season, we present a montage of our interviewees defining resilience both in the context of their recovery from typhoon Yolanda and in their lives today. Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.

How does one's experience of flooding reshape their ideas of home, safety and community? We hear from homeowners Patricia and Omar as they recount their story of Hurricane Ida and their subsequent decision to sell their home to Blue Acres, New Jersey's nationally renowned, state-run program for voluntary buyouts of flood-prone properties. We also talk with Blue Acres program manager Courtney Wald-Wittkop and climate adaptation expert A.R. Siders about the broader ideas of managed retreat and loss in the face of more extreme flood risks. Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.  Copyright 2025 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.

Who manages “managed retreat”? In this episode, we examine the individual, institutional and societal dimensions of decision-making, as well as the household and community-level outcomes of relocation. We hear from Monique Coleman, who organized her neighbors to collectively advocate for buyouts after a series of floods that culminated with Superstorm Sandy, and from Tom Flynn, the flood manager overseeing the restoration of Monique's old neighborhood into a functional floodplain. We also hear from Mayor Andrew Nowick, who voices his constituents' desire to rebuild in place and prioritize alternative flood mitigation strategies over relocation. Experts Liz Koslov and Jim Elliott provide research-based frameworks to hold these different perspectives. Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.  Copyright 2025 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.

What do scientists make of retreat? We hear from researchers Lisa Auermuller and Ken Able of the Rutgers University Marine Field Station, an institution at the literal edge of coastal erosion, sea level rise and sunny day flooding. We discuss the research station's history as a former Coast Guard facility and consider its vital long-term monitoring efforts, which serve as a bellwether for understanding climate change impacts. The episode concludes with real-time climatic threats to on-site station operations that the scientists are now regularly grappling with and the scenarios they are mapping out to chart their future.  Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.  Copyright 2025 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.  

Coastal wetlands are crucial ecosystems. They sequester significant amounts of carbon and provide a buffer against storms and erosion. Salt marshes, in particular, are known for their ability to retreat inland in response to rising sea levels. And yet, the presence of human infrastructure blocking their paths and the accelerating rate of change put this natural adaptation into question, posing the threat of marshes drowning and decomposing in place. In this season's final episode, we hear how scientists are racing to better understand and predict the fate of these vital systems and consider how their survival could protect human communities . Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.  Copyright 2025 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.  

Just as we did last season, we wrap up Season 2 with a montage of our interviewees' perspectives on resilience. The term continues to prove to be a complicated word, eliciting responses that range from simply utilitarian to aspirational.  Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.  Copyright 2025 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.