5 like we were alone to figure out how to survive post-storm in many ways. It was only once my neighbors and I began to check in on each other and help each other that I felt the power of community. Q15: You mentioned that you were active in socio-civic activities, especially in extreme weather-related occurrences like typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Were you able to participate in trainings, seminars, or talks involving causes of extreme weatherrelated events? A15: In 2014, I traveled to the Philippines with GABRIELA. There I participated in a Women’s International Solidarity Mission (WISM) in Tacloban one year after Typhoon Haiyan. We met and integrated with women and fisherfolk who, like me, did not have a choice to evacuate their homes and leave their source of livelihood before the storm. Shortly after the typhoon, their fishing communities near the water were designated as “No Build Zones.” Government officials stated that the land near the water was unsafe, however, later we learned that the no build zones were slated for resort and hotel development. In a way, this reminded me of how after hurricane Sandy, developers and real estate agents appeared in Red Hook and many new unaffordable apartment buildings were built. In Tacloban, I learned that the typhoon survivors received the most support and assistance from fellow survivors and people’s organizations like Peoplesurge. I also traveled to Mindanao where we spoke with indigenous communities who had been forcibly displaced and whose leaders were even killed due to military and paramilitary occupation of their tribal schools and ancestral land for transnational mining interests. These lumad communities often experienced devastating landslides caused by the deforestation and land stripping by fossil fuel companies. Q16: Have you heard about climate change and what causes it? If yes, what do you know about it? A16: Yes, I have heard about climate change. Climate change is not a naturally occurring phenomenon, but a condition created and intensified by our dependency on fossil fuels. Not only does the plundering of land result in deforestation and environmental destruction, but it also results in persecution of the peasants, farmers, and indigenous people who depend on their land as their source of livelihood. Also, superstorms caused by climate change are much more dangerous in places where natural barriers against storms have removed due to deforestation. Q17: Do you think climate change has something to do with hurricane Sandy? If yes, what is your message to the fossil fuel companies who were said to be the big contributor of climate change? A17: Yes, climate change clearly has changed weather patterns and increased the intensity and frequency of superstorms like hurricane Sandy and typhoon Haiyan all over the world. Devastating natural disasters are the new norm of weather cycles. I experienced a brief