On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, local name: Yolanda, the deadliest typhoon ever recorded in the Philippines, devastated the Visayas region of the country. Haiyan was the strongest storm ever recorded at landfall and was unofficially the fourth strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of wind speed.
Around 10 million people were affected in the vicinity of Leyte. The typhoon damaged 1,178 schools in the province, with 4,674 classrooms partially damaged and 1,706 classrooms totally destroyed. The storm affected 186,617 students, many of whom who were forced to study in temporary classrooms.
Epson Precision (Philippines) Inc. immediately responded to the urgent needs in Leyte through a non-profit organization, Philippine Business for Social Progress. The company matched the employees' fundraising drive and presented a donation to help repair damaged classrooms.
In June 2015, local dignitaries and Epson managers and employees attended a ceremony to open new disaster-resilient classrooms to Bislig Elementary School in Tanauan, Leyte.
Learning from the two-meter water surge in Typhoon Haiyan, the new building was built with large spaces in the rooftop for use as a shelter in the event of a similar disaster. Epson also provided new study desks.
Each year many Filipinos suffer as a result of disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes. Epson Precision (Philippines) aims to continue supporting the conservation and restoration of the environment and show concerns to the welfare of the Filipinos and society.
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