A reverend priest sprinkles holy water on the ruins of a community in the central Philippine City of Tacloban on Dec. 17, 2013 to mark the 40th Day after Super Typhoon Yolanda brought deadly storm surges on the city on Nov. 8, 2013. The super typhoon killed more than 6,000 people most of them Tacloban and nearby areas and left nearly 2,000 others missing. The memorial took place in Tacloban on the island of Leyte, which bore the brunt of the Philippines deadliest typhoon, accounting for more than 5,000 of the 6,069 confirmed deaths. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country where it is traditional to mourn for the dead for 40 Days. Residents of the parish are families of fisherman, fish vendors and informal settlers. They have all been told by the city government that they will not be allowed to rebuild because of their old homes were too close to the shore and dangerous. The authorities said most of the deaths were caused by tsunami-like giant storm surges that swept through Tacloban and other cities and towns of Leyte and Samar island.
