It was the day after Typhoon Haiyan struck. The sun had barely risen when I woke up. Like the usual early mornings in our place, the temperature was cold. The environment was again peaceful; yet everything outside was still a mess. With much rehabilitation works to do for the day - cutting the fallen trees, arranging the things inside the house, and lots more, I wasn't really troubled since I had enough hope and motivation to really work. I was even anticipating it. To see the sun shining brightly again was a good start for the day. Like everyone else, we dried our rain-soaked things under the heat of the sun. Every house that I have passed by had foams, blankets, carpets, pillows, and clothes laid out on their yards. A lot of people were walking around; and that's something very unusual to see in our place since people just stay inside the house most of the time. It was really good to see neighbors chatting, exchanging news, and even laughing while they share their own stories. I think that really is a character of a Filipino - being able to laugh despite all the misfortunes that fate has brought.
That day, we realized that there was no water; and what a great trouble it was. Having no electricity was manageable; but having no water was such a dilemma. We couldn't take a bath, wash our hands, wash the dishes, or flush our toilets. But later, we came up with the idea of getting water from the swimming pool just for flushing purposes; and many people did the same. (Water was restored on the afternoon of the next day) From our neighbor passing by our house, we learned that Isabel town proper became inaccessible due to many fallen concrete posts on the road. If you were to go there, the only choice was to travel on foot. Our family actually had prepared much food stock by buying from the market and stores the day before the storm. However, we learned that everyone was rushing to the company cooperative's store in the village to buy food supply. My father said that it was because we would never know when this uncertainty would end or when help would be coming. That is why we also bought a great amount of food supply like canned goods and kilos of rice. Aside from this, we also roamed around the village to know if we could buy a gallon of drinking water but we weren't able to find one.
Day by day, we tried clearing the path in front of our house by chopping of the branches of that colossal mango tree that stumbled there. It was blocking our garage and our car couldn't pass through; so we really tried our best by manually cutting the branches using a saw and a bolo knife. We cleared our backyard by cutting the other fallen trees and we fixed our clothesline so that we could hang our washed clothes. I also swept our front yard because dead leaves were scattered everywhere. Those activities were really energy-demanding; and at times, the sun's heat was scorching. However, these were nothing because there was never a time when we didn't have enough food to eat.
On the second day after the typhoon, I strolled around with my bike to see the damages on the different areas. Haiyan totally deforested our place; the mango trees that lined our roads either fell or turned into twigs. And there were still lots of concrete posts on the road; sometimes I pass through the sidewalk and sometimes I really have to lift the bike just to get through. I visited our school and I could barely recognize it since it was almost in ruins. One building, our library, was totally de-roofed and all of the books there were soaked. Pieces of jalousie windows scattered everywhere and a lot of debris littered the grass and road. The glass doors of one building were shattered and the wooden doors were ripped. All of the covered walks were also gone. The huge old acacia trees in the school had no more leaves but they were still standing strong.
Through the radio, we learned about the great tragedy in Tacloban and its neighboring towns - Tanauan and Palo. Those places are actually familiar to me since I have been there a few times. I have even experienced a typhoon in the town of Palo when we stayed there for the 2012 provincial athletic meet. I remember seeing flooded ricefields; and water overflowing on the road. According to the villagers there, it is really flood prone since the town is coastal and the topography is mostly plain and not mountainous. From what I've heard on the news, the city was engulfed in raging seawater - or what is called the storm surge. I was more astounded when they said around 10,000 have died in Tacloban and its neighboring towns. I heard stories of survivors interviewed; I could even hear their voice trembling when saying they couldn't believe that they were still alive. Even though I don't have that actual picture of the post-disaster scenery in Tacloban, I guess the devastation there was really dreadful. I have also heard that victims were already seeking refuge in Manila or Cebu because of their unlivable condition.
The next two days, we caught news from other residents that there was phone signal on areas near the sea. We thought it was just a joke; but when we went to an area near the sea, we actually saw a few people calling and texting. We brought phones of different networks to maximize the possibility of establishing communication to our two brothers and our other relatives in Cebu. All of us were anxious; because from what they have probably seen on the news, they might think that we were very seriously affected or suffering greatly. There was signal however, it was weak and you could only find it on certain spots. But thank God, we were able to communicate with our brothers and then our relatives. We didn't know what they were thinking that time but what's important was they were aware of our real situation. We told them that we were all safe, and that we had enough food to eat. We couldn't call them since we had to save our phone batteries.
That day, we realized that there was no water; and what a great trouble it was. Having no electricity was manageable; but having no water was such a dilemma. We couldn't take a bath, wash our hands, wash the dishes, or flush our toilets. But later, we came up with the idea of getting water from the swimming pool just for flushing purposes; and many people did the same. (Water was restored on the afternoon of the next day) From our neighbor passing by our house, we learned that Isabel town proper became inaccessible due to many fallen concrete posts on the road. If you were to go there, the only choice was to travel on foot. Our family actually had prepared much food stock by buying from the market and stores the day before the storm. However, we learned that everyone was rushing to the company cooperative's store in the village to buy food supply. My father said that it was because we would never know when this uncertainty would end or when help would be coming. That is why we also bought a great amount of food supply like canned goods and kilos of rice. Aside from this, we also roamed around the village to know if we could buy a gallon of drinking water but we weren't able to find one.
Day by day, we tried clearing the path in front of our house by chopping of the branches of that colossal mango tree that stumbled there. It was blocking our garage and our car couldn't pass through; so we really tried our best by manually cutting the branches using a saw and a bolo knife. We cleared our backyard by cutting the other fallen trees and we fixed our clothesline so that we could hang our washed clothes. I also swept our front yard because dead leaves were scattered everywhere. Those activities were really energy-demanding; and at times, the sun's heat was scorching. However, these were nothing because there was never a time when we didn't have enough food to eat.
On the second day after the typhoon, I strolled around with my bike to see the damages on the different areas. Haiyan totally deforested our place; the mango trees that lined our roads either fell or turned into twigs. And there were still lots of concrete posts on the road; sometimes I pass through the sidewalk and sometimes I really have to lift the bike just to get through. I visited our school and I could barely recognize it since it was almost in ruins. One building, our library, was totally de-roofed and all of the books there were soaked. Pieces of jalousie windows scattered everywhere and a lot of debris littered the grass and road. The glass doors of one building were shattered and the wooden doors were ripped. All of the covered walks were also gone. The huge old acacia trees in the school had no more leaves but they were still standing strong.
Through the radio, we learned about the great tragedy in Tacloban and its neighboring towns - Tanauan and Palo. Those places are actually familiar to me since I have been there a few times. I have even experienced a typhoon in the town of Palo when we stayed there for the 2012 provincial athletic meet. I remember seeing flooded ricefields; and water overflowing on the road. According to the villagers there, it is really flood prone since the town is coastal and the topography is mostly plain and not mountainous. From what I've heard on the news, the city was engulfed in raging seawater - or what is called the storm surge. I was more astounded when they said around 10,000 have died in Tacloban and its neighboring towns. I heard stories of survivors interviewed; I could even hear their voice trembling when saying they couldn't believe that they were still alive. Even though I don't have that actual picture of the post-disaster scenery in Tacloban, I guess the devastation there was really dreadful. I have also heard that victims were already seeking refuge in Manila or Cebu because of their unlivable condition.
The next two days, we caught news from other residents that there was phone signal on areas near the sea. We thought it was just a joke; but when we went to an area near the sea, we actually saw a few people calling and texting. We brought phones of different networks to maximize the possibility of establishing communication to our two brothers and our other relatives in Cebu. All of us were anxious; because from what they have probably seen on the news, they might think that we were very seriously affected or suffering greatly. There was signal however, it was weak and you could only find it on certain spots. But thank God, we were able to communicate with our brothers and then our relatives. We didn't know what they were thinking that time but what's important was they were aware of our real situation. We told them that we were all safe, and that we had enough food to eat. We couldn't call them since we had to save our phone batteries.
The following days after the storm, life turned entirely different. It's not just about the physical changes that it has brought. I know it may seem odd to hear; but for me, life became more meaningful on those days. Before, I used to spend the most of the day on the internet. And as every day passes, it's just the same routine over and over again. It was something meaningless. But this time, I always woke up with that goal in mind - to do the best I can in bringing back the normal condition of our home and our environment. Everyday I always tried to find something to work on. And when I finish working on something, I would feel satisfied because it serves me an achievement; it's a step closer to my goal. I also find it good to be productive, rather than wasting time and taking it for granted.
And with Haiyan taking away our access to luxuries - electricity, internet, cellphones, and gadgets, our life became simple. We have developed a lifestyle adapting to our condition. We slept early and woke up early. In that post-disaster situation, you wouldn't really want to sleep late because when the sun sets, your actions are limited because of the darkness. That is why you really need to make the most out of the day before it reaches night. There's also this kind of awful feeling when your surroundings are dark. It's not that I am afraid; but I'm the type of person who turns on almost all the light switches in the house because it's seems depressing when there is not sufficient light inside the house. Sleeping the night away is an escape to that dreary feeling. Before I sleep, I am always in anticipation for the next day because when I wake up, I know my surroundings would already be bright again.
On those days, we take breakfast in the morning and drink coffee, then we work inside the house. We take lunch then rest in the afternoon, play cards, or just talking. When I would already run out of things to do, I'd usually just sit outside and sometimes observe the helicopters as they pass by our place. There was even a time when I saw three military helicopters; and another was a military plane which was surveying. I have also seen a C-130 plane which was travelling towards Cebu.
And with Haiyan taking away our access to luxuries - electricity, internet, cellphones, and gadgets, our life became simple. We have developed a lifestyle adapting to our condition. We slept early and woke up early. In that post-disaster situation, you wouldn't really want to sleep late because when the sun sets, your actions are limited because of the darkness. That is why you really need to make the most out of the day before it reaches night. There's also this kind of awful feeling when your surroundings are dark. It's not that I am afraid; but I'm the type of person who turns on almost all the light switches in the house because it's seems depressing when there is not sufficient light inside the house. Sleeping the night away is an escape to that dreary feeling. Before I sleep, I am always in anticipation for the next day because when I wake up, I know my surroundings would already be bright again.
On those days, we take breakfast in the morning and drink coffee, then we work inside the house. We take lunch then rest in the afternoon, play cards, or just talking. When I would already run out of things to do, I'd usually just sit outside and sometimes observe the helicopters as they pass by our place. There was even a time when I saw three military helicopters; and another was a military plane which was surveying. I have also seen a C-130 plane which was travelling towards Cebu.
Haiyan may have caused us great disturbance and inconvenience; however, there were still many reasons to be thankful about. I was happy that even though after that great disaster, we could eat three times a day with the family. There was never a problem on food; it was almost overflowing since we had to finish all the food stock inside the refrigerator before they would get spoiled. The company also provided us our necessities and it was really a relief since we feared that we might run out of food and drinking water. We were also thankful that we still had a beautiful home and a good community around us. As time passed by, our fears and uncertainties were gradually lost; and we had already accepted the fate and adapted to the changes brought by this underestimated typhoon.
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