The scent of impending doom hung heavy in the air, thick and humid like a wet dishcloth. Lola, my grandmother, muttered prayers as she scurried around our concrete house, securing loose objects and taping windows with X-shaped patterns of packing tape. I, a scrawny twelve-year-old named Kai, stood by the window, a reluctant observer in the face of the approaching typhoon.
Typhoon YuzengTeng, they called it. Its name, a cruel twist on a saint, promised devastation. The news channels were a constant drone of swirling satellite images and urgent warnings. Schools were closed, businesses boarded up, and a tense anticipation filled the air.
The day YuzengTeng arrived began deceptively calm. An eerie stillness replaced the usual cacophony of street vendors and tricycles. By noon, however, the wind picked up, whispering secrets through the coconut palms. By nightfall, it was a banshee, howling its fury. Rain lashed against the windows, heavy and unrelenting.
We huddled together in the living room, a makeshift fortress against the storm's wrath. The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows on the walls, and Lola's rosary beads clicked a steady rhythm against her knuckles. My younger brother, Ben, clung to me, his face a mask of fear.
The power went out just as the news reported the storm surge had breached the seawall. A collective gasp filled the room. We were in a coastal town, built on the precarious promise of a fragile levee.
Suddenly, a deafening roar ripped through the night. The ground trembled, and the wind howled like a wounded animal. It was the surge, a monstrous wall of water churning with debris. It had breached the defenses, and now it was coming for us.
Lola, ever resourceful, grabbed a makeshift life raft – a large, inflatable pool toy – and shoved us towards it. "Stay together," she commanded, her voice surprisingly steady. "Hold on tight, no matter what."
The water came crashing in through the windows, transforming our living room into a chaotic sea. Furniture bobbed around like lost toys, and the walls groaned under the relentless assault. I clung to Ben and the pool toy, a desperate hope battling the rising panic in my chest.
The next few hours were a blur of disorientation and fear. We were tossed around in the churning water, slamming against walls and furniture. At one point, a stray beam of wood struck my leg, sending a searing pain through me. But Ben, his eyes wide with terror, had a tighter hold on me than I did on the raft. I couldn't give up, not with him depending on me.
As the storm began to lose its fury, the water levels slowly subsided. Exhausted and shivering, we emerged from the wreckage of our home. Dawn was breaking, revealing a scene of utter devastation. Houses were reduced to mangled concrete, streets were flooded debris-filled rivers, and the familiar landmarks of our town were unrecognizable.
A wave of despair washed over me as I looked at the destruction around us. But then, I saw Lola wading through the mess, her weathered face etched with worry but her eyes surprisingly defiant. She held out a hand, her calloused palm warm and reassuring.
Together, we began the arduous task of finding survivors and salvaging what little remained. The following days were a blur of backbreaking work, fueled by a desperate need to rebuild and a fierce sense of community.
YuzengTeng may have ripped apart our town in one night, but it also revealed the strength of the human spirit. We rose from the ruins, sharing what little we had, and leaning on each other for support. The experience left an indelible mark on me. It was a brutal lesson in the power of nature, but it also taught me the power of resilience, of love, and of hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
Today, our town stands rebuilt, stronger and more prepared. Yet, the memory of YuzengTeng remains a constant reminder of the storm's fury and the indomitable spirit of its people. It's a story whispered in the rustling palm leaves, etched in the lines on Lola's face, and forever imprinted in the depths of my heart.
it's heart breaking to see all the damage the typhoon has caused. be strong keep safe.
Thank you so much... It really is heart breaking especially when you didn't expect this to happen. We are frequently hit by typhoons so we can say that we are used to it but nobody here in our town expected this kind of devastation to fall to all of us
Ingat po kayo dyan, praying that everything will be back to normal soon.
Grave talaga damage ni Odette. Thanks God you are all safe! 🙏🙏
Thank you so much. Grabeh talaga it might not be as strong as yolanda pero yung experience namin mala yolanda din talaga. First time namin talaga naka experience ng ganito ka grabeh ang pinsala. As far as I know only few died from the encounter but the struggle is real after the typhoon. People are panicking and worried if we can even recieve help. Our lgus is the same as our signal here... Almost non existent
Mao lage sis. That's why we escape Cebu because naa me 2 years old boy. Lisod kaayo. Maayo na Lang wala nagrabehan ang amo town SA Leyte. Grabeh pud ato Ila experience adtong Yolanda.
God bless to you sis and to your entire family. 🙏🙏
My heart crumpled when I saw the photos. God give much strength to all of you who are going through difficult times. blessings!
Thank you so much. We are really trying our bests to survive after the typhoon... I just hope people wont start panicking and form riots as our resources right now is quite limited
People from your area are so kind! Glad to see that people are helping out everyone in need. The positivity of Filipinos is something that needs to be recognized. The devastation looks so terrible, no one really expected the Typhoon to be that powerful, and I think everybody was taken by surprise by it. Hoping that you keep safe!
This is so true. Even right now the bayanihan is still alive and people wre helping each other out building the lost roofs and houses of my fellow sibongahons. Not all but i have seen quite alot
Wow, that's such an amazing thing to hear!
It is a devastating experience Pink, I am glad na you and your family is safe and sound parin after the Typhoon. It will be hard to get back on your feet again for sure and I just pray that you will be strengthened with everything.
Thank you so much bro. Yeah it will be hard to move forward from this experience but I will never give up. It really is one of the biggest lesson for me. The things that i wished i had prepared more and the things that is necessary to survive in situtations like these
thank god you guys are safe!
Storms are always bad things. I wish you and everyone in the country peace and get through this storm.
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I find myself in a region where we don't expect or experience natural disasters, read it earlier from can't recall the name but I'm glad it's over now.
Good luck man, I hope you and your family are okay.
Sorry to hear, but I’m glad you’re still ok in all this. I have a friend @mayor-dongkoy who lives somewhere near you. If you remember the Cebu outlaw longboard race, he was one of the organizers. Maybe you guys can work together to help everyone out? He’s still pretty new to Hive, and I’ve been having trouble showing him how to cash out his crypto, since I don’t know what exchanges are available locally.
When all of this is over and wverything will be back to normal I would love to teach your friend the ropes. Communication right now is super limited so I doubt i can keep in touch with him right now. I really wish i could as people really need all the help they could get
Wow, that is terrifying, and your recount of this reminds me of experiencing the eye of a tornado when I was a small child. I can remember how calm and nice the weather was for not even 3 minutes before things got worse all over again.
I am so sorry for the crisis going on there, and the damage is great, the recovery will be long and slow, but I do hope daily life starts getting easier soon.
Yes. I have been to many life and death situations before and I can tell you with all honesty that every one of those I can still recall. I guess situations like these really sticks in your long term memory to either traumatize you or to let you remember what happened so that such things can be avoided in the future.
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I felt sad and heartbroken seeing the destruction caused by odette. Thank god you and your family are safe.
Stay strong brother 💪💪