Leading on the Frontline

Epilogue

Passion, purpose and playfulness

In November 2013, I had just returned to my hotel in Santa Barbara, California, following a long day presenting at a major conference. I went up to my room, threw my bag onto the bed and switched on the TV, hoping to catch up on world news and unwind a little. A sombre news anchor appeared on screen against a backdrop of horrific images of devastation in the Philippines. The presenter explained that a super-typhoon had hit the country’s eastern seaboard a few hours earlier and caused widespread death and destruction. For a long time I sat on the edge of the bed, transfixed by the reports on what would turn out to be one of the most powerful storms on record.

The thirtieth major storm in the season, Typhoon Haiyan began a few days before as an area of low pressure in Micronesia. Gradually building in strength, it made landfall in China, Taiwan and Vietnam, but the greatest impact would be in the Philippines, where the storm killed more than 6000 people and made many more homeless. A national emergency was declared, but given the extent of the devastation this had little immediate effect. For several weeks, many thousands of people remained in desperate need of food, shelter and medical assistance. Widespread destruction of the country’s infrastructure hampered the relief efforts of the major aid agencies. Emergency rations and aid would not reach countless rural communities for several more months.

Although the instinct to get on the first ...