Typhoon Chedeng

I heard on the news that a strong typhoon named Chedeng is coming to land in the eastern seaboard of the country. Though the ETA of the storm is still on Friday, the weather bureau has already given advanced warning of the typhoon's potential destructive power as far back as last week. The Disaster Management Coordinating Council is doing its job exceptionally considering the limitations in material and personnel. All the government agencies under its coordination are exhibiting their equipments and personnel response team on TV to assure the citizens that the Ondoy disaster will not happen again. This is a good thing and the government deserves a pat on the back for its disaster response preparedness. There are already preemptive evacuation being done in the provinces directly on the typhoon's path.

I have done a little preparation of my own by trimming the trees in our yard. I am hoping that what happened two years ago will not be repeated. I forgot the name of the typhoon whose wind power almost uprooted our duhat and caimito tree. I watched helplessly as the trees slowly leaned and the roots started to appear out of the ground. I could not do anything but watch and wait. When the rains and the wind stopped, I cut the branches and pushed and pulled the trees back to stand. I love those trees and cutting them down is not an option. Now, I made sure that the trees are trimmed so that they would not be top heavy and easily felled.

I am worried about old and termite ridden house. It’s an old house that has survived a lot of storms. But it is almost 60 years old and no major maintenance has been done on it. I do not have the funds to hire carpenters to check on the condition of its wooden trusses and floorings. I just hope that it will survive more storms to come.

It is during the storms that I pray with all the faith I could muster. Even though sometimes I seemed irreverent about God, it is during times of distress and fear that all disbelief is overcome by fear. I remember what General MacArthur said, “There are no atheists in the foxholes of Bataan.” Whether one believes in God or not, he or she cannot help but call upon his name when faced with perils.

Danger is the best motivation to praying.

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