Still a merry christmas.

January 4,2022

Good day read-stars!
First of all, I miss all of you and everything around here. Everyday I spent anticipating the day when I get a chance to reconnect with everyone of you here. I love being here and I miss the days when I could no longer hear from you. The typhoon was so destructive that it left a massive damage not only to the properties but to the communication lines as well.
Supertyphoon Yolanda or internationally known as Haiyan was etched in my mind as the strongest typhoon that I have ever witnessed until December 16,2021 came and Super typhoon Odette proved its strength, break the record and made its own mark.
On that day, at five pm, the strong wind started to blow like a whistle, electricity has been turned off and communication lines were also nowhere to be found. There were a lot of phone numbers of different rescue teams spread across social media but all of them was deemed useless because we can't reach them as there was no communication line that is available.
The strong wind and rain continued to pour until seven in the evening. We were so scared and we can't sleep since the rain water started to made its way to our room through the window. I was at the boarding house at that time. I wasn't able to come home and be with my family because there were no transport vehicles available on that day. So, I stayed along with my board mates. There were seven of us. Four girls and three boys. At first, they were busy documenting everything- how the string wind blows, how the coconut trees sways through the air, how the signages in different stores detached from its main point. Until evening came and there battery was starting to run low. We then settled ourselves in  a small space of corridor in our boarding house. Two of the rooms were impossible to be occupied that time because the rain water made its way to the room through the window. The floor was filled with rain water even when we were in second floor. It was seven in the evening, when the wind and the rain stopped and everything seemed to be normal. We were supposed to be sleeping until the residents living near the sea started to run telling everyone that the sea is making its way to the streets. We were scared that the situation might be like what happened in Yolanda that all of our landlady's family went to the second floor to hide. Their children were crying, even the adult's knees were shaking. Good thing that the sea water didnt increase in volume anymore. God still protected us.
In the morning, we were all outside waiting for the electricity and mobile signal to come back but it never did. We surveyed the town, the port, the supermarkets and we discovered that the two main supermarkets in Sogod Southern Leyte were affected. The glasses were broken even when it is covered with roll-ups. The port too was divided in to two, the water lifted the other part and placed it on the other. The houses near the sea were gone too. Only, few clothes were left. Everything was totally damaged and a lot of people were trying to recover and retrieve what they can, others are in the corner wondering how in the world can they bounce back.
In my heart, I have every emotion that anyone could feel. The pity, the trauma, the sadness. The time during the typhoon was scary but after it was even more traumatic. I wasn't able to come home because there were no vehicles available. People back home wasn't able to cross to the town because the roads were not cleared yet.
People were busy waiting in line for the supply of gasoline. There was only one functioning gas station after the typhoon. Back at the boardinghouse, there was no water supply, we can't cook food because there was no electricity. The next day we were blessed because the butane store opened and we were able to buy one for us to cook some food.
One day after the typhoon, I was restless, I can't function well because I wasn't able to get an update from my family. I was even more nervouse when I heard someone talking about our barangay being a place which needs rescue but unfortunately, the rescuers weren't able to rescue them. I tried roaming around the street to find a place where I could charge my phone and someone who I can hitch for a ride home. Luckily, on Saturday, I was able to find one. I learned from him that everything was fine back in our barangay and that one bridge collapsed which caused flood water to make its way to the houses.
At home, everything was a mess. The floodwater was inside our house and it reached until my mom's hips. That night they stayed at home. I assumed that they vacsted our home and went to a safer place but they didn't. They never learned the lesson of Typhoon Jolina. Our house is by the river and though there is a dike, still there is no guarantee of safety because anything can happen. One bridge collapsed causing the water to flow unto places which isn't supposed to be their flowing area. The bridge was too low and the trees that are uprooted were blocked by the bridge. A large volume of water was stucked there and if the bridge didn't collapsed, the whole barangay would be filled with water. The other bridge though high was still reached by the flood. There were mud on it. My mother said that if the rain and wind did not stop at nine in the evening, the worst might happen. I cringed at the idea and scold them. Yes, eventhough they are my parents, I scolded them for staying at home and not going into the evacuation centers. They underestimated the typhoon and my three-year old niece was with them.
My father visited his share of land and he come home disheartened by what he saw. The coconut which is our main resource of income was affected by the typhoon too. Others would say that they all have undergone a hair rebond. It would take 15-20 years for a coconut to grow,mature and fruit but it only took hours to destroy them. My father said that it would take five years for them to recover. Some would never recover. We can only pray and place our trust in God knowing that He is our source and provider and He knows what tomorrow brings.
As of time of writing, a week after the typhoon,we are still in the process of cleaning our house and surrounding. Good thing, we are already done doing the laundry, all of my clothes, my sibling's clothes and my niece's clothes were reached by the floodwater. There is still no electricity in our barangay. Only a weak smart signal in town. No functioning ATM machine in the town. We needed to go to the capital if we want a stronger signal and to claim money sent by members of family. We already received two kilos of rice, ten canned goods and sachets of coffee. Drinking water supply is thinning and we have no choice but to consume what is available. Meanwhile, online classes are still not operating becauss all of the internet connection is still down. We have no work and no pay.

Still, a Merry Christmas to all of you read-friends! I'm grateful that even the roofs fly and the house is a mess, the livelihood destroyed, still God is good because He spared our lives.
I miss you, the challenges, the promps, the word hunt in noise, the fun and the thrill. I hope I can catch up with all of you again as soon as possible.