We’ve been watching President Ninoy Aquino’s announcement on TV Patrol the night before urging the people in Eastern Visayas to prepare for the approaching Super Typhoon Yolanda. In truth, I did not give it much serious thought. I was confident then that our house could withstand signal number 4 though I had no idea how strong it will be since we have not experienced a typhoon that strong ever since. I did not even secure our things; I just left them where they were originally placed. Luckily, I had the sense of storing potable water in containers.
In the early morning of November 8 around 6:00 o’clock, the winds started howling like banshee and very heavy rains beat the tinned roof. The condition escalated to a degree that I had not anticipated. All I can see outside was a hazy scenario as if the surroundings were blanketed with smoke. Our kitchen walls caved in. Water in the adjacent irrigation canal has overflowed and reached the kitchen thus the 10 sacks of newly milled rice were soaked in water. The refrigerator overturned, spilling all contents. We sought cover in the bedroom but left after the roof was blown away. We hid behind the bathroom walls but I had to find clothes and raincoats for my elder parents and 9 year old son, for we were all shivering from cold. It was also too late for us to evacuate because it was dangerous. Debris’ were flying around and a big tree fell in front of our door. We were trapped inside. But I had to remain calm. I cannot let them see how frightened I was. I prayed the rosary but I could not continue to the end. I kept on repeating and repeating. I did not even finish the first mystery!
Soon the wind died down and we were able to get out by the kitchen amidst the rubbles. We started clearing the house or what was left of it so that we’ll have an area to sleep in. Our state was indeed depressing because it continued raining and we were roofless. At night, we had to get up because rainwater was dripping from our makeshift roof and soaked our beds.
Nevertheless, we made do of what we had at that time and shared them to our neighbors. We gave them rice and turkey to cook. More than 50 heads of turkey that my father had raised were crippled due to the rain and cold.
Amidst our loss, it was very fulfilling to be of help to others. I humbled myself before God and thanked Him profusely that He has spared us from the massive onslaught of the Yolanda catastrophe.
Ma. Daisy C. Ibarra
TYPHOON YOLANDA
After accomplishing the necessary attachments for the school MOOE liquidation report, I left L. Cabahug Elementary School around 3:45 in the afternoon to submit the said report to the division office. To reach the city faster, I opted to ride a van. Nothing was amiss in my trip until I reached Ormoc. I got off in Brgy. Toog due to very heavy traffic. To my utter surprise, the roads were full of crying and panic-stricken people, mostly students that said they will seek higher grounds because the city is in imminent danger of a tsunami. The long and loud blast of siren in the city hall also seemed to fuel the building panic and chaos.
The roads were jam-packed of vehicles, too. It could barely move. Even the ambulance had a hard time maneuvering the traffic.
Soon my daughter in Linao called. She told me that a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit the city at 4:03 pm. How come that I did not notice? she asked. I told her that I was in a moving van. It seemed that the driver was also unaware of the earthquake.
I went home without submitting my report. Due to the incident, the office was closed early. I thought that only the brownout will be in store for me when I arrive home. But I had to clean the living room from mud. A seiche occurred in the irrigation canal adjacent to our house. A wavelike muddy water splashed towards our main door just as my mother opened it in order to get out. And it happened twice. As I mopped the floor, there was even a fish on it.
I may have been lucky not to experience that strong earthquake but the aftershocks that followed were equally nerve-wracking!
Ma. Daisy C. Ibarra
2017 EARTHQUAKE
