Cold, eerie Christmas

The rain continues to pour as I start this piece. Tropical storm Kabayan is battering parts of Mindanao and the Visayas, bringing not just rain but strong winds as well. The experience was nowhere near to what transpired two years ago in the same month. Typhoon Odette was an unforgettable weather disturbance wrecking homes, lives, and the Christmas spirit.

I remember how I struggled to sleep that night as the wind howled like a lonely dog. A few minutes later, it was the sound of galvanized iron hitting the pavements that resounded loudly. It went on for hours and we were all in the dark, with no electricity in our homes. The following morning’s situation was worse. It felt like a zombie apocalypse. Neighbors were walking aimlessly in the streets of our village searching for lost items. "Have you seen my trash can?" would have been the funniest I heard. We were all trying to mask our worry; we knew many were already affected.

True enough, I saw how homes were washed away especially in the southern part of Cebu. Others tried to create makeshift homes just so their Christmas wouldn't be that miserable. We spent Christmas Eve under candle lights, imagining it was a romantic family dinner. Whatever happy thoughts we could think of were shared with the group, just to make the mood a bit lighter. We slept outside to fight the indoor humidity. Thanks to the northeast monsoon, our nights felt a bit cooler.

Nobody can predict if it can ever happen. As Kabayan's rains are nonstop today, I come to realize that it will always be difficult to prepare for a storm. Our local disaster risk reduction and management units are keen to simulate different life situations. However, when the actual eventually happens there will always be bumps and hiccups.

I know that this storm shall pass and we will go back to our festive and happy mood. While the scars of Odette will be hard to forget, we will bring with us valuable lessons when it comes to disaster response. It has been helpful to keep on listening and watching updates from the state weather bureau. Social media delivered in its role in being informative. One just has to make sure the sources are legitimate. We do not want to create a scare, one that can create confusion.

I wish us all a Merry Christmas, not one that is cold and eerie. I do not like to remember how that felt two years ago where we are all in disarray. If only we can stop nature's downpour every time a typhoon is formed, that would be a great help. Then again, we can only do so much and the environmental issues that we are facing also continue to be a problem.