Simple, Pure, and really, really cute - Lively Innocence: The Aftermath of the Storm (Part 1)

The Aftermath of the Storm (Part 1)

Two storms attacked the country in the past 2 weeks. First was Ondoy and the other is Pepeng. Both typhoons are quite devestating in their own way; Ondoy brought nearly 80% of Metro Manila underwater, while Pepeng swept across northern Luzon, wreaking havoc with it's fierce winds, and even now, threatens to return to the country.

Here in the Metro, Ondoy's wrath was felt even more. Although it was not as strong as Peping in terms of wind speed, it brought nearly 400mm worth of rain within a few hours. That's already a month's worth of rain. Even now as we speak, there are still towns and barangays that are flooded, families are displaced and thousands are suffering the effects. Worst part is that the floods will not recede until around December.

Peping on the other hand, did not actually affect the Metro. But it caused widespread damage up north. The agricultural sector was badly hit, with rice fields and corn fields either uprooted or flooded by the wind and rain brought by Peping. Landslides were commonplace in the mountainous parts of the north and many people, specifically farmers, were affected by this calamity.

In my case though, our house is not hit by the floods, thank God. But the nearby creek overflowed and some of the squatters have evacuated from there. Also, the only entrance to our village was flooded chest-deep as well. There was also a part of the street we're in that is flooded as well, but thankfully, the water didn't reach our place.

Although me and my family were lucky, other familys were not. Some lost their homes, others their loved ones. The damage not only to property, but to the hearts of the people is so severe that it would take months to heal.

However, I am thankful that there are people who are still willing to help those affected by the recent calamities. The TV stations who have worked day and night to cover what happened during the past few days, the numerous charitable institutions who worked tirelessly to deliver relief good to those affected, and the countless people who have rekindled the spirit of "Bayanihan" and helped those who are affected. If only we express this spirit everyday...

(to be continued)

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The Aftermath of the Storm (Part 1)