The Aftermath of Supertyphoon Odette (Ria)
December 22.
Supertyphoon Odette hit the country last Thursday and wreaked havoc on several densely populated provinces in the Visayas. We were fortunate that our province (Capiz), which is located on the northern part of the Panay Island was spared. And we thank God for that.
However, the typhoon left a trail of destruction in Surigao, Cebu, Bohol, Negros Island, and some other areas in the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
Source: CNN.com
Read: Typhoon Odette kills 72 people in Bohol
Hello, wonderful readers. This is a late upload. I wrote this three days ago. The day that I can't do anything here in read.cash. I thought of junking this article, but I thought I will just update the information contained here instead.
Communications Down
December 17. After the typhoon had passed, I called to check on my brother who lives in Iloilo City. We were talking for a few minutes when the line went dead. I tried to call him again to no avail.
I opened my Facebook Messenger. His status was offline. I tried to call him thru the app anyway. I got nothing. I noticed there were only four people on my contact list who are online.
While were already enjoying the sun for the past few days since after the storm, I had no communication with my friends and relatives who are living in Cebu.
I know that several parts of the Visayas regions and Northern Mindanao were hit hard. For sure electric poles are downed by the typhoon. It would take days or even weeks before they will be restored.
December 18-20
I saw a couple of my friends in Cebu posted that they are ok. But most of the others are offline. I sent messages to some of my friends living in Cebu and a friend in Tacloban.
My friend from Tacloban replied first, but it was a day after. My friends in Cebu have not replied until the 20th. But most of them are offline most of the time. Perhaps, they just looked for ways to charge their phones. Nevertheless, I'm glad they are ok.
Other Difficulties After The Typhoon.
Aside from electricity and communications problems after a typhoon. A couple of these problems were described by @mommentswithmatti in her noise.cash posts.
A limited supply of fuel. She mentioned in one of her posts that her husband had to wait for three hours before he got his turn to fill up their vehicle.
Long queue at the ATM. Aside from the long queue, she mentioned that the bank lowered the maximum withdrawal to P20,000 (around $500) per day.
These are just two of the common problems experienced after a calamity. I know there will be others.
Damage Report
As of the time of writing, there are 258 reported casualties due to the typhoon and the damage to agriculture and infrastructure amounted to PHP 3.6 B.
Source: Philstar
Though electricity is being restored slowly, it might take weeks or even more than a month to be fully restored.
On The Bright Side
On the bright side, electricity and communications are slowly being restored. Humanitarian assistance is already pouring in.
Compared to Typhoon Yolanda, the casualty caused by Odette is relatively low.
Final Thoughts.
Odette left a trail of destruction in the country a few days before Christmas. Though the casualties are low, there are families who will spend this Christmas without their loved ones. There are thousands of families who will spend their Christmas in the dark. A lot of them will be spending Christmas in evacuation centers.
Thanks For Reading.
Grabe talaga yung pinsala ng bagyong Odette, yung family ko wasak talaga yung bahay nila sa Cebu. Kami naman nung Dec 17, nawala ang signal buong araw tapos ang kuryente nawala nung December 16 pa ng gabi. Halos isang araw din bago naibalik yung kuryente namin.