April 11,2022 6:06 PM 

I woke up at 5:00 A.M. today. I went outside of our boarding house and looked at the dark-grey sky. The sun was shy today. It did not even bother to take a peek. I looked at the sky for a little while and then the sorroundings trying to search for any remnant of the typhoon. Few moments had passed, I sat down in a chair and took a sip of my coffee and began to think of how blessed I am to be able to face another day in my life— glad I was given the chance to continue to dwell in this world.

Days Before the Typhoon Struck

The town that I am working at is sorrounded by hills and rainy days are common. I may sound exaggerating, but in this place, I think rainy seasons is every season. For three years that I have stayed here, I can attest to it. People were accustomed to it and don't mind it as long as won't reach the point of flooding, dikes get broken or rivers overflow. Then, that would be another case.

So, it has been raining past few days before the typhoon and people were all busy living their lives. Then, we heard of the news about "Agaton", the name of typhoon. We thought it would not be a destructive one bit little did we know, it took lives, caused damages to properties and leaved massive destruction to our neighboring towns.

The Typhoon Struck at Night

Last night, I and my colleagues were troubled and anxious as we have experienced the wrath of typhoon Agaton. For the first time, we get through a calamity far from the people we love. We were worried because we heard that the dike near us reached its full capacity of holding water and it's almost broken. The local government informed the residents near the rivers and dikes to vacate their residence for their safety. When we heard of it, we called our landlord and inform them of the situation but they assured us that if the dike overflows, it won't reach our area because the place where we stayed at is elevated. Somehow, it eases our worries.

You can just imagine how fear tried to succumb us and fortunately we did not concede to it. Although we were uncertain of what was going to happen, we prayed, stood firm to our faith, and trusted God that He will sustain us, He will take away our fears and will protect us from raging storm and he did. He protected us.

The Devastation Caused by the Typhoon

After the typhoon landfall at 2:00 A.M. we were relieved, finally we have overcome it. We were safe and unharmed. As we look into the news, into some social media platforms, we saw devastation. A lot of landslides, and floods happening to our neighboring towns. Lots of people were asking for help to rescue them because floods covered their houses and because the weather won't permit the rescuers to come to them immediately, the last resort they had on their sleeves were to climb their roofs despite the danger of being carried away by flood or getting soaked of the rain.

A series of unfortunate events happened because of the typhoon. There were cases of landslides wherein the whole barangay was coved by mud and you can only see the roofs of the houses. People were trapped. A lot of people suffer, many lives were taken away. Some made it out alive and some didn't.

Imagine how this event caused havoc into the lives of the affected people. It would be difficult to cope with pain and loss and it would take time to heal the hearts of the broken souls.

Tips on How to Prepare for an Incoming Storm/Typhoon

When there is bad weather condition—a typhoon, it is important for us to be equipped and be ready in every situation. We need to be ready beforehand for our own safety. Here are some tips that you may want to consider:

• Watch weather forecasts - keep posted for weather updates/advisories coming only from reputable news outlets. They give facts and accurate information about weather.

• Prepare emergency bags for necessities (Clothing, medicines, food, flashlights,etc.) enough to consume for few days. Make sure it is waterproof.

• Take note of the emergency hotlines in your locality so it will be easy for you to contact them in difficult situations.

• Go to safe places and secure your family. Don't stay near riverbanks or flood-prone and landslide-prone areas.

• Lastly and with utmost importance, pray, ask for God's guidance and protection over ourselves and the people we love.