Saturday, November 8, 2025.
The catastrophic effect of the typhoon Nika last year traumatized the residents living in low lying areas with surrounding rivers. Our family is one of those residents. Our area is now flagged as a flood prone area due to the severe flood that happened last year. We have been alerted to be ready – to prepare before the storm is yet to come. This one is a super typhoon named Uwan, that marked as signal number 5 in Quirino province, to hit by 11 pm – 12 am on Sunday.
Unlike the super typhoon last year that brought devastating flood, this typhoon Uwan bought strong winds that destroyed mostly lots of trees and the steel rooftops, posts of electricity and other public and street signages.
We immediately evacuated in our barangay hall, listed the names of evacuees in our family and then the officials sent us into the nearest room in elementary school where we stay for the night waiting for the storm to pass. The internet went unstable and the electricity blacked out. It was 10 until 12 midnight when the wind storm whirled at its peak, not letting us sleep.
Tomorrow came and we woke up with the mess of the storm outside. Branches of trees were fallen on the roads, leaves and fallen fruits are everywhere. The electricity was still out in our barangay due to the fallen posts of electricity, so we can not use yet our phones. I can not even document the other damages caused by the typhoon in our residential home just right after the storm when we went home.
Thursday, November 13, 2025
We cleaned the mess up already and there are still left to do but it will gradually be back to how it used to be. No matter how strong was the wind yesterday, there is still a new day to continue striving. This is an example of what it means on how to dance in the rain – to find happiness even in the state of calamity.
The ambience felt nostalgic after the storm. No internet, no phones, no electricity. Using candles as the light for the night, urge to light a bonfire at the backyard in the middle of the darkness of our surroundings, and to savor the slow moments without internet.
Thankfully, witnessing the damages were immediate. After all the instant action of each of us together cleaning the mess up, the house felt like home again, like no supertyphoon happened.