A young Costa Rican designer is turning devastation into opportunity one year after Typhoon Hayan blew through the Philippines.
26-year old Bernardo Urbina was living in Cebu when Haiyan hit. After the dust settled, he traveled to Tacloban, one of the worst hit regions and began collecting and buying debris from residents to repurpose into pieces of furniture and works of art.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) FURNITURE DESIGNER BERNARDO URBINA SAYING:
"It wasn't just a branch that we took and we converted to furniture, but it was, someone owned that debris, that broken headboard, that broken doorframe. And we repurpose it and upcycle the material to give it more value."
Urbina says each piece tells a different story. Here the handle and wheels of a young boy's cart was turned into a coffee table. Urbina says he gives 10% of the profits from each piece back to the residents he purchased it from.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) FURNITURE DESIGNER BERNARDO URBINA SAYING:
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