After Typhoon Pablo

I am writing this amidst the howling winds. When I was a child, I never really thought that I would be able to experience a strong typhoon in my lifetime. It wasn’t the rain that scared me while Bagyong Pablo was hounding on our windows, it was the wind. This was the first time that I saw our washing machine parked outside the house in the wash area tumbled down due to the strong wind.

When the news warned that the typhoon will be a strong one, I never really believed. In my mind, I kept on thinking about last year’s typhoon Bagyong Sendong which did not really cause any havoc in the region so I thought that this one will just pass by quietly. I was so wrong!

I woke up to the sound of raindrops gently pouring over the roof and I even told my sister if the typhoon couldn’t get any worse than that. The typhoon must have been challenged with my declaration and, by around 8:00am, the wind suddenly picked up. To make matters worse, the course of the typhoon unexpectedly changed and it moved lower still nearer to our region. Although this particular news was alarming, I wasn’t a bit worried for some reasons- yet. In my mind, I was still thinking that the wind would stop at  any moment.  

But around 10:00am, now I began to panic as our flimsy 30-feet coconut tree almost bended because of the wind while several of the nuts fell on the ground with force. Thankfully, the streets were deserted.

When the wind stopped later at midday, I inspected the backyard and I saw a lot of twigs and branches on the ground. Some of our trees must have fought hard with the wind until they gave away. My vegetable patch was ruined and the flowering plants that I have been growing looked as though a small child visited the garden and played with the plants by twisting their branches. I couldn’t complain because it is nature’s doing. Besides, the uprooted plants and messy backyard is nothing compared to those who directly suffered from the typhoon’s wrath.

Although the strong winds lasted for only a few hours, it gave me one of the biggest frights in my adult life. With this whole experience, it has got me thinking that Bagyong Pablo is just like the unexpected problems that come to our lives. While some are prepared to face the unexpected adversities, there are those (me included) who find it hard to accept the truth and move on.

Anyway, going back to the whole event, I just hope that  those who had lost their loved ones and had their properties ruined because of the typhoon can overcome all of this and somehow still have a merry Christmas despite everything. It will be hard but if, God willing, nothing is really impossible.  The typhoon hasn’t really left the country yet so stay safe, everyone.