Atom Araullo, a Filipino reporter for broadcaster ABS-CBN, reported from Tacloban City--which was largely destroyed in Typhoon Yolanda, but helped rescuing residents in the city.
A raw short video that was uploaded over the weekend showed Araullo helping children cross flood waters to get to another building.
On Friday evening, Araullo was seen outside as Yolanda was slamming Tacloban. The video footage went viral.
He was described as a “hero” by many people on social media websites, including Twitter. Some, however, said that he was foolish for stepping outside during the storm.
One user wrote: “Please do take care @atomaraullo.”
“I know its a bit late but I want to salute @atomaraullo for his heroic deeds in the midst of typhoon Haiyan. a true journalist indeed!” another person wrote.
Other social media users praised the cameraman who was filming him.
According to ABS, Araullo said that he and his team could not stay outside for long due to the wind and rain.
After his report, he went inside and and did another report around 30 minutes later inside.
The street on which he was standing was flooded with water and debris just minutes later. Later, the city’s communications lines and power were cut.
Tacloban was one of the worst-hit areas during the typhoon, with reports saying that potentially thousands of people died there. Two officials said that at least 10,000 people died across the Philippines after the storm hit.
Images posted online from Tacloban show that the city was reduced to a virtual garbage dump, with few buildings standing. The only structures that were standing were made out of concrete.
The Philippine government declared a state of calamity for the country and sent extra police officers and army personnel to Tacloban to prevent rampant looting. Following the storm, a number of people were left without food, water, or other supplies. There were also reports of people stealing TVs and other electronics from supermarkets and malls.
