The Preparation (Six tropical cyclones in less than a month)

16 November 2024

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Living in the Philippine Area of Responsibility with 20 tropical cyclones entering each year can be challenging. It's a phenomenon that cannot be avoided, no matter how cautious we are. It's impact is always unpredictable, regardless of posted predictions. The Typhoon Yolanda taught us lessons of life, so no matter how dangerous or not the upcoming typhoon is, we stay vigilant and prepared. It's better safe than sorry, as an adage says.

Now that the year is coming to an end, remaining typhoons that haven't landed yet seem to be racing their heads and tails to waggle in PAR. Consecutive typhoons came into the Philippine Area of Responsibility, putting different areas across the country's regions in a state of calamity. Others haven't recovered yet from previous typhoons and are still in evacuation centers, but here comes more typhoons. The end of the year should be spent for holidays and relaxation, but in our country, it's a time to worry about consecutive typhoons. Sometimes we pray for them to just disappear in the air before they land to stop from creating devastations on the land.

Imagine experiencing six tropical cyclones in less than a month! You might think to migrate to a safer country because this country is prone to tropical cyclones and is not safe to live in. That's one main reason why Filipinos are resilient. We endure this crisis every year.

Fear about the landfall of tropical cyclone Pepito in our province, which was said to rise to signal No. 5 (the strongest) and might bring storm surges to areas near waters, we immediately had preparations yesterday as people seemed to be panicking. We traveled to the town proper with my sister and niece to buy necessary supplies in case things get worse.

Yolanda survivors in our town have seemed to have learned the lessons. As early as possible, preparations were made before the typhoon hit our place by buying main commodities and supplies necessary for emergency situations.

The biggest grocery store in our town was filled with customers, and people at the market were panick buying, afraid to experience hunger if an unexpected situation arose. We can't simply rely on limited relief goods provided by the government to affected areas.

I bought some canned goods, noodles, biscuits, coffees, toiletries, and other necessary supplies for our family. Regardless of the situation, we always have to be full of stocks since our family is big and we have a kid at home.

Meanwhile, my virtual work is put at stake with the fear of having no power and internet connection due to the typhoon. I have some online interviews scheduled this week that are possible to be rejected since they can't be rescheduled by myself. Life matters to me more as of this moment, and I'll handle online stuff later.

The typhoon landed on Saturday morning and caused floods in other parts of Visayas and Luzon. Some videos are posted online, which makes us more updated and vigilant. It is still ideal to stay connected to power and the internet to stay updated with different news. We hope that this won't be cut off because it is also important for communication with loved ones located in other parts of the province.

As the typhoon becomes nearer to our place, the rain intensifies as well. We would rather just endure winds and rain, not sudden water surges, because our house is located near the river. We fear the history will repeat itself because it was something that we don't want to experience again. But life gives us no choice. What we can do is to stay vigilant, prepared, and resilient.

Wherever you are in the Philippines, take care.

Thanks for your time.

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