“We already learned the first time it happened, we won't let it happen again.”
The day was nice and clear. I can even see the sun taking a glimpse of us below as if it was taunting us to enjoy what was in that moment because there was something waiting worse for us later. But even without the signs of a raging typhoon coming, my relatives told us beforehand to sleep together in my uncle's house where there were no dangerous trees nor hazardous falling debris that might fall just in case the typhoon landed.
Afternoon came, December 16, 2021, and news came about Negros Oriental, Philippines, being under signal number 3.
Wind started to get a little more aggressive and the rain poured down harshly. I was already trying to connect with my relatives from Cebu whose place will also where the typhoon passes through. The last time I talked to them, they were fine. But that moment, they were already out of coverage.
December 16, 2021, 9 PM, when the weather started to get worse. We were settled on our make-shift beds while silently praying for the wind and rain to stop. The males in our family refused to sleep to ensure everyone's safety and see the typhoon's aggressiveness, but we also had a hard time falling asleep, too. We could hear the trees and whatever it was falling and hitting the roof of the house where we were staying.
It was 1 AM when we heard the banana tree just beside the house fell down. And the raging rain and wind just keep on coming through.
We barely had a good sleep that night. There was no signal and electricity. Most of us had our phones deadbatt. The next morning, there were some houses that lost their roofs and things were damp by the flood.
Thankfully, there were no bigger casualties in our area. Me and my family were safe. But the barangay suffered, so as the whole Negros Oriental that lost signal, water, and electricity.
The whole province of Negros Oriental, Philippines, lost 51 people, has 76 injured individuals, and 26 missing persons (as of December 20,2021).
The photos belows are some of what typhoon Odette left in different parts of Negros Oriental:
Today, we are still experiencing no electricity, but we are glad to be safe (with God's guidance). Some of my friends and relatives who were also a victim of typhoon Odette were still recovering. We all are. Keep safe, everyone! And pray.
[All photos are retrieved from Yes The Best Dumaguete Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/yesthebestdumaguete]