When Typhoon Tino struck, it was 17-year-old Esmeralda's* (not her real name) sense of urgency that nudged her mother to evacuate when she wanted to stay at home. The role of youth is sometimes overlooked in disaster response, but the experiences of young people like Esmeralda and her friends show that youth who survive disasters do in fact gain deep insight from their experiences and can play an instrumental role in helping their communities be better prepared when disaster strikes.
Part of the Seen & Heard short documentary series.