Uwan Aftermath

Back in the day, signal number 3 was the most the tropical cyclone warning signal could get. Time came when I read somewhere that PAGASA was adding signal number 4. I initially thought it was a joke. I thought it was ridiculous. How devastating would typhoon signal number 4 be? Now, we just had signal number 5. Yes, those were really strong winds and heavy rains. Of course, not as voluminous as Kristine’s, but signal number 5 in its own right. I shudder at the thought when signal number 6 comes, because I now realize that nothing would be impossible. We would need houses with steel reinforced roofing and windows by then.

Back in the day, typhoons would cover the area of one province or two or three. The third province would get some light rains. Now, typhoons seem to want to swallow the whole of Luzon, the hole of Visayas and some of Mindanao. I know that modern trends brought about bigger commodities. Coke litro blew up to 1.5 liters and later to 2 liters. Burgers and pizza slices grew larger to sizes that you could not just hold one in one hand and push it inside your mouth. Shirts don’t just come in XL, but in 2XL and 3XL. But does this phenomenon include typhoons? As the trend goes, future typhoons may come in the size of the entire nation.

What kind of name is “Uwan”? Is it a variant of Juan or Ewan? Do you know anyone whose name is “Uwan”? I have heard of someone whose name is Tino. I know someone whose name is Salome. The same goes for Ramil. But, where does “Uwan” come from? For that matter, I could say the same thing for “Opong” and “Quedan”.

Usually, we would compare an event to the immediately previous event. We should have compared Uwan to Tino. But we contrast Uwan to Kristine, that catastrophe a year ago. Interestingly, Kristine has become Bicol’s benchmark of a disastrous typhoon. The scars really run deep. For what it’s worth, those deep scars have turned out for the better. Two days before the typhoon actually came, families have voluntarily gone to evacuation centers to ensure their safety. Months before, waterways were unclogged. We prepared for the worst flood possible. Cars were parked on elevated streets. Important stuff were wrapped in waterproof plastic bags. Everything that could be dragged up to the second floor was dragged up to the second floor. Yeah, we learned.

Back in the day, it was expected that there would be a considerable length of time without electricity, after a typhoon. We complain about it, but we expected it. Somehow, it was a time to do stuff that we usually don’t do when we were slaves of TV screens or radio waves. Now, it seems that we want to turn the lights on once the rains stopped. Come on, the CASURECO linemen had to check the cables first. Back in the day electricity was the only utility service that got disconnected during typhoons. Now, we got paralyzed when the screens showed “no Internet connection”. We go crazy and complain about it.

I remember an extended time without electricity after a typhoon (as usual)I had a deadline coming up. I finished my work with a typewriter. I don’t think anyone would do that anymore. Work gets crippled without electricity. It gets even more cripple, or even suspended without the Internet. I don’t want to be a technophobic or technoskeptic but, sometimes, somehow, I stumble upon the realization that we have become slaves of technology. I imagine that there had been a time when electric cables and Internet connections did not exist; and humanity was just fine. But, we can’t go back to that time anymore. We have gone so far. If I don’t finish the articles, papers, reports that I have to, with a laptop computer supported with the Internet, the consequences would eventually rise up from the ground and swallow me alive. Then, I would have to crawl to pick myself up from the rubble. So, I might as well do the work now to avoid that disaster. Now, that would be a disaster upon a natural disaster.

At the end of the day, all we could do through storms like this is to pray and chill. What’s the problem with that? That actually makes sense. That’s probably the most sensible thing that remains in the middle of the eye of a storm. In that middle of that helplessness, lack of faith and worry would defeat us. Inversely, faith and calm would pull us through.

Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you….”