Carried by Water explores stories of movement revolving around water as a force of nature, a resource and a pillar of well-being. Season One explores the legacies and lessons learned from Super typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda, which made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013. Season Two travels to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States—where communities in New Jersey and Delaware along with scientists are grappling with questions of relocation in the face of increasing flooding and sea level rise. Through stories of people making real-time decisions of whether the advantages of remaining in place outweigh the risks of repeated disaster, we consider evolving ideas of climate adaptation, home, identity and resilience.
Created and hosted by Mario Soriano with research, writing and production support for Season Two from Asela Perez-Ortiz, Hannah Riggins, Farah Arnaout and Jayme Collins and for Season One from Patrick Jaojoco and Braeden Carroll. A production of Princeton University’s Blue Lab, which is co-led by Allison Carruth and Barron Bixler. Additional support at Princeton has come from the High Meadows Environmental Institute, the Humanities Council and the Office of the Dean of Research.
Copyright 2023-2025 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.
To learn more about Carried by Water and Blue Lab’s other original media projects and series visit: http://bluelabmedia.org/.
Season 2, Special Episode: ”Revisiting Resilience”
Mario Soriano presents a montage of interviewees' perspectives on resilience, revealing the term's complex and varied meanings.
14 Jun 2025
Season 2, Episode 4: ”Retreat or Rot”
Mario Soriano explores how coastal wetlands retreat inland due to rising sea levels, but human infrastructure and accelerating change threaten this natural adaptation, potentially causing marshes to drown; this is a solo episode.
14 Jun 2025
Season 2, Episode 3: ”Has Somebody Checked the Tides?”
Researchers Lisa Auermuller and Ken Able from Rutgers University Marine Field Station discuss the impact of coastal erosion, sea level rise, and climate change on their research, in an interview with Mario Soriano.
14 Jun 2025
Season 2, Episode 2: ”A Matter of Consequence”
Monique Coleman, Tom Flynn, Mayor Andrew Nowick, Liz Koslov, and Jim Elliott discuss the complexities of managed retreat, examining decision-making processes and community-level outcomes following flood events, in an interview with Mario Soriano.
14 Jun 2025
Season 2, Episode 1: ”This Was Not Home for Us”
Homeowners Patricia and Omar recount their Hurricane Ida experience and decision to sell to Blue Acres, while Courtney Wald-Wittkop and A.R. Siders discuss managed retreat and loss in an interview with Mario Soriano.
23 Apr 2024
Special Ep: "What Does Resilience Mean to You?"
During our field work in the Philippines, we saw and heard one word wherever we looked: Resilience. The term proved to be both aspirational and controversial, depending on who we asked. To wrap up this season, we present a montage of our interviewees defining resilience both in the context of their recovery from typhoon Yolanda and in their lives today.
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelab.princeton.edu/).
9 Apr 2024
Ep 6: ”We Are Used to Storms”
A decade has passed since Super Typhoon Haiyan's devastation. The mass media spotlight has long shifted to other disasters. In a region regularly battered by storms, what is the importance of talking about the lessons from one particular event? This episode, we’ll hear different voices discussing the role of preserving the stories of Yolanda to foster a culture of preparedness for present and future generations. We’ll also learn about different visions and aspirations for resilient shelter, and hear about the roles of culture and ritual in collective healing from the trauma brought by the storm.
Guests:
Mariel Uy, Manila Observatory
Aaron Vicencio and Veejay Villafranca, Ateneo de Manila University
Joycie Dorado Alegre, University of the Philippines Tacloban
Pamela Cajilig, Curiosity Design Research and University of the Philippines Diliman
Jaime Hernandez, University of the Philippines Diliman
Carmi Macapagao, Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc.
Dan Matutina, Plus63 Design Co.
Jacques Palami, entrepreneur in Tacloban
Eddie, boatmaker in Marabut, Samar
Julita, tikog weaver in Basey, Samar
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelabmedia.org).
26 Mar 2024
Ep 5: ”An Organized Chaos”
As images of Haiyan’s destruction flooded the media, an outpouring of humanitarian aid and volunteer responders from around the world descended into the affected regions to help. This episode is about the legacies of the monumental humanitarian effort that mobilized in the wake of Haiyan’s devastation. We’ll learn about NGO contributions to immediate relief and sustained efforts toward permanent housing. We’ll also hear about challenges in coordinating this massive response that led to inequities in aid distribution. Finally, we’ll hear how a mobile truck bar helped locals and foreign volunteers connect beyond a benefactor-beneficiary dynamic.
Guests:
Peggy Sy-Jiang and Gem Marielle Lim, Tzu Chi Foundation
Doc Anton Lim and Cocoy Torrevillas, Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation
Jacques Palami, entrepreneur in Tacloban
Ela Atienza, University of the Philippines Diliman
Brando Bernadas, Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
Edgar and Geneve, residents of Great Love Village in Palo, Leyte
Eddie, boatmaker in Marabut, Samar
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelabmedia.org).
12 Mar 2024
Ep 4: ”Away from the Hazards”
This episode revolves around resettlement. In the aftermath of Yolanda, local officials instituted a ‘No Build Zone’ policy for residential structures along the coast and made a decision to relocate survivors to a distant inland site called Tacloban North. We hear lived experiences and expert views on how this focus on retreat from physical hazards of the sea neglected social and economic realities, particularly for fisherfolk who were disconnected from their livelihood. We also learn about the current struggles of communities at resettlement sites and about an alternative, people-driven project that relocated survivors closer to the city.
Guests:
Brando Bernadas, Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
Ted Jopson, Tacloban City Housing and Community Development Office
Ladylyn Mangada, University of the Philippines Tacloban College
Ela Atienza, University of the Philippines Diliman
Aida Vidal, FRANCESCO Consortium/ Pope Francis Village
Dexter, Algina, Estrella, and Philip, Tacloban City residents
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelab.princeton.edu/).
19 Dec 2023
Season 1 Trailer
Carried by Water explores stories revolving around water as a force of nature, a resource, and a pillar of well-being. In our first season, we examine the lessons learned and lived legacies from Super Typhoon Haiyan/ Yolanda, a historic hydrometeorological disaster which hit the Philippines in 2013, and we shed light on narratives about the complicated and still ongoing process of recovery.
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelab.princeton.edu/).
6 Dec 2023
Ep 3: ”They Said that Cancabato Bay is Already Dead”
One response to Super Typhoon Haiyan has focused on building physical infrastructure. How has this approach reshaped people’s relation to the open sea and coastal ecosystems? We hear from experts and a grassroots group calling for a change to this dominant paradigm.
Guests
Dakila Kim Yee, University of the Philippines- Tacloban
Ladylyn Lim Mangada, University of the Philippines- Tacloban
Jonathan Anticamara, University of the Philippines- Diliman
Nobuhito Mori, Kyoto University
Bayani Cardenas, University of Texas at Austin
Brando Bernadas, Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
Mano Roque, Mana Milagros, and Mana Gilda, Paraiso Mangrove Eco Learning Park Marine and Wildlife Sanctuary
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelab.princeton.edu/).
21 Nov 2023
Ep 2: ”If We Called it a Tsunami”
Super Typhoon Haiyan seared the meaning of “storm surge” into Filipino minds, but in 2013, authorities were criticized for using this term instead of “tsunami”, which was more familiar at the time. We hear from disaster scientist and Project NOAH director Mahar Lagmay on what went into the public warnings for the storm surge. Survivors Mario Peñaranda and Algina Lacaba recount their firsthand experiences of the surge in Tacloban City, and Brando Bernadas reflects on the city's efforts to improve its disaster risk reduction and evacuation protocols since the storm. Anthropologist Pamela Cajilig shares how pride and poverty influenced people’s evacuation decisions, and Nobuhito Mori, Lea Soria, and Phillip Lapidez shed light on the particular geography and history that make Tacloban vulnerable to catastrophic storm surges.
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelab.princeton.edu/).
7 Nov 2023
Ep 1: ”A Cluster of Clouds Over the Pacific”
What was it like to forecast a history-making super typhoon that experts described as “off the scale” and “the most powerful storm to ever make landfall”? Super-typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Central Philippines ten years ago today. In this inaugural episode of Carried by Water, we hear from PAGASA, the Philippine weather agency, about how Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) compelled forecasters to break institutional protocols to warn the public in time and posed novel challenges for communicating the impending storm's severity. We also learn from risk communication researcher Inez Ponce de Leon about what the diverse communities in Haiyan's path most needed from official warnings, and with climate scientist Jane Delfino we contemplate the future of extreme weather in a world shaped by climate change.
Carried by Water is created and hosted by Mario Soriano. It's a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University (http://bluelab.princeton.edu/).
Who has been a guest on Carried by Water
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Lisa Auermuller
Ken Able
Monique Coleman
Tom Flynn
Mayor Andrew Nowick
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 16 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
8
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
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