Typhoon Juan

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Around this time last year, the world’s attention was towards the Philippines as we survived typhoons Parma and Ketsana (local names Pepeng andOndoy). We survived, but not without a lot of casualties – of both lives and properties. My family was among those affected, our homes were flooded and we were forever marred by the experience. Yet we’re still one of the lucky ones. We still had our homes, and each other. We just had to live through the nightmare, and then do the rigorous cleanup that lasted until a few weeks after the storms have already died down and left.

Today, super typhoon Juan (international name Megi) is raging through Northern Luzon, affecting the whole island as it seems. The center is many hours away from the Metro, yet we still feel it. The rain is pouring heavily as I type this. All over the news, the disaster coordinating councils in the localities and even on the national level are confident that we are more prepared now than we were last year. There are rubber boats and life vests, and basic rescue tools made available. Preemptive evacuation was done although there were still a lot of locals who stubbornly chose to stay home. I pray for their safety.

Still, there will be landslides, rivers and creeks will spill over. There are also reports of a few lives lost since Juan made landfall.

Let’s us all take care. Whether you’re up North where the rain and winds are stronger than what we’re getting here, or if you’re in Metro Manila thinking whether traffic will be bad due to flooded roads, take care.