A super typhoon called Odette (international name: RAI) hit us just a week before Christmas. Cebu has always been “lucky” in terms of typhoons. They normally slow down after passing through the outer islands (Cebu is smack in the middle of the Philippines), and the older, more religious generation would say that Cebu is protected by its patron saint, Sto. Nino. So, despite the warnings, no one was really prepared for what was about to happen.

December 16, at around 7pm in the evening, the winds gradually got stronger and stronger. At its peak at around 10pm I believe, it was already at 250kph. In the middle of that “attack” (I call it attack because that’s seriously how it felt like), I was crouching on the bathroom floor, going through an almost-mental-breakdown, wishing I could just sleep and wake up when it’s over.

My house…

I just moved in to my new house last June. After working hard for 14 years, I could finally get a house I can call my own, and I was excited. I spent a lot of money in renovations and in really making it a “home”. Witnessing that home being torn down is an experience I would not wish on anyone, especially not when you’re inside that home at that moment. That night my worries were that:

• My roof would be blown away and our second floor exposed to the rain and strong winds
• The glass windows would all break and shatter
• Our things would all get wet/damaged, even flown away

For the first few hours my anxiety was off the roof (literally) until I realized all three have already happened, went we went up the second floor to check during the quiet time where the eye of the typhoon is directly above you. My heart broke, and it was a thick pill to swallow but I thought to myself, the worst is over – my worries have all turned to reality. My mind then started moving to the “what’s next” phase (true to Growth Mindset), so that when the tail end of the typhoon was passing, I was a bit more relaxed, and even felt challenged at how to survive the next “few” days.

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The next “few” days

Oh it was hell. It was chaos. It was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life that’s collective (i.e., felt by everyone around me); in fact, it was much worst than the pandemic. Seriously, pandemic what? Odette erased the effects and fears of the pandemic when it struck. I also remember hoping that night that the strong winds would also blow away whatever variant of the virus is going around. No one cared about the invisible enemy – everyone was scrambling to get their basic needs met.

• No electricity – obviously, a lot of electric poles went down. I’m sure even the electric plants (is that what they call it) have been damaged. Kilometers of cables and wires are all tangled and lying down by the road. Even now, 23 days after, we still don’t have electricity in our area. It’s only now that I’ve realized the effects of not having electricity!
• No drinking water – because refilling stations don’t have power, they’re not able to purify drinking water. There were long lines of water bottles in front of the few refilling stations that had generators. Prices of water bottles doubled (some even sell them at thrice the price) and restaurants didn’t serve bottled water for a while.
• No gasoline – to be honest, this one was a little weird. A lot of gas stations had generators so they’re able to pump gas – but people were hoarding gasoline like never before. And it was because they were reselling it for ridiculous amounts! We had to queue 12 hours in front of a gas station on the 3rd day because we had to travel to Dalaguete to check on my mom and our house there. Good thing the government stepped in and the queues were back to normal after 2 weeks (still, 2 weeks??)
• No phone/internet signal – another impact of not having electricity meant cellular towers were down. Being able to send a text message (SMS) was a privilege not available to many. It was so hard to check up on family and friends because you couldn’t just contact them easily.
• Limited supply in supermarkets – roads are not fully passable, lack of electricity, and this happening on the holidays – it was a recipe for food and supply shortage. It was super hard to buy soft drinks (I mean, we can all do with an ice-cold Coca-Cola in this heat), mosquito repellents, batteries, and meat and other refrigerated products.
• Limited supply of hardware/construction materials – this was expected as people were rebuilding their homes. For sure, corrugated iron which is normally used for roofing here is the #1 in demand for the first few weeks.

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So, how did we survive these hell weeks? Well, we had to do a lot of traveling.

• We booked a studio condominium unit in Cebu City for one month. This unit had power (generator) and internet signal. This is where my sister “works from home” for the time being. We also visit occasionally to charge our power banks and access the internet.
• We spent some time in our house in Dalaguete, which wasn’t damaged by the storm. Although there was no electricity here, there was plenty of water and there was ample food supply.
• Of course, we had to still stay in our damaged house because our stuff are here and we had to oversee the fixing of the roof and windows, clean the house from debris, wash all of the ruined clothes/curtains/blankets, etc. There was a lot of work to be done!

There was no one place where we could have it all. Even now, over 20 days after the storm, there is still no one place where we could comfortably stay and not worry about anything. At least we have options – I know others have it worst.

The “bright” side

With all of this, one still has to look at the silver lining, or the bright side. Because of Odette, I’ve learned that the things we own (including our homes) are just that – things! We can eventually replace them. What we can’t replace though are our family and friends, so I was just grateful that everyone I know is safe, even if their homes (including mine) aren’t.

I’ve also learned how to prepare for the next storm because they will come for sure. Our country is known for typhoons and super typhoons – and while it’s the first time in a long time that one struck Cebu, it can happen again. I need to pay attention to the weather reports. I need to stock up on food. Maybe have a solar panel installed for worst-case situations when power goes out again. Also, I need to install a personal water tank for emergencies.

The house structure is a different topic but I realized how much it pays to be a minimalist! I didn’t have much things in my room other than a bed and a shelf, so the damage when the roof went off was minimal. It is also wise to store valuable things in the most secure location of the house – this is basic knowledge but we tend to forget if we don’t see the need. As we work on rebuilding the house permanently, I have a few thoughts in mind on how to do it better so that we can feel safe in our home the next time.

I’m also grateful for friends who reached out to help both mentally/emotionally and financially. They were quick to act when they found out about what happened. I know there are times when I think about how I’ve drifted apart from everyone but Odette proved me wrong. I know I will need to repay all of the kindness as soon as I’m able to!

In summary…

Odette was a disaster I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I’ve gone through so many firsts, mostly negative experiences the past few weeks that could have broken me, but I’m taking it as an opportunity for a restart, a reset, a chance to reassess my priorities. I can’t say I’m already OK, I’m acknowledging that until electricity comes back, I won’t be fully OK, and will take this time to rest my mind from worry. I’ve gotten used to living with just the basics in this situation and to be honest, I’m torn about continuing like this or going back to the life I had before the storm hit. Haha! I think I need to end this because I’m already rambling.

P.S. I still hate you Odette for ruining my holiday plans!