Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda:

Font of Natural Energy in the Philippines, Crippled by Nature (New York Times)

(Courtesy New York Times)

When Typhoon Haiyan barreled across Leyte Island almost two weeks ago with a tsunami-like storm surge and nearly tornado-strength winds, killing thousands of people and effortlessly tearing the roofs off homes, it also damaged the crucial geothermal operations here.

The typhoon destroyed all four cooling towers, located near ridgelines on the hills east of Tacloban, splintering the wood and casting aside the steel. The Energy Development Corporation is now studying whether to replace the cooling towers with identical construction or build new ones that may be more durable, said Leonita Sabando, the environmental management chief at the site.

The fifth power plant does the expansion from water to steam, the cooling of the steam and the condensation of the steam in a single complex that is also high on the valley wall. Yet it does not protrude so high above the surrounding terrain, and so suffered much less damage. The company is now testing all of the components of that power plant in the hope of bringing it back into full service and repowering Leyte Island by Dec. 24, the national target for restoring electricity after the typhoon, Ms. de Jesus said.

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