Stay Safe, Mindanao!

I no longer live there, haven't done so for the last 18 years,  but it's weird to see this image of that new typhoon threatening regions in Mindanao this week.

Typhoon Pablo's projected tracks in Mindanao

And for some reason, I can't go back to sleep. Like I also need to stand vigil, just in case we need to evacuate or something. Crazy, when I now live thousands of miles away in Luzon.

I was born and raised in Davao City and it didn't used to be this way in that region. When there are news of class suspensions because of a typhoon in Manila,  I used to have this tinge of envy knowing Manila kids can sleep longer and watch a lot of TV.  On a school day!

My grandmother, however, would always say we were quite lucky to be living in a region where there are no storms. I didn't understand what she meant by "lucky" until I moved permanently in Manila in the 90's, where I survived flooding (while 5-months pregnant) in '97 and I continue to witness how these recent storms and heavy rains can quickly paralyze and devastate my neighborhood.

These days, when classes are suspended, I get a tinge of irritation knowing my son is missing out on school. Of course, he would spend the rest of the day sleeping and sleeping coz --- I've since learned, living here for nearly two decades --- the storms normally cut the power off and you can't do much. (What? No TV???)

There's a wave of concern and worry going through me now, as updates on Typhoon Pablo's tracks pour in. Perhaps it's because I've lived through a number of flooding, I'm still traumatized by it. Or perhaps it's because I still have family and friends there who are, no doubt, growing frantic about what could possibly happen. It bothers me that they have to experience this. Pablo isn't a typical storm. If it were in the US, it would be a Category 5. Who wouldn't be freaked out by that?

Anyway, there's not a lot people can do when a storm hits but prepare and keep safe, or hope that the storm weakens or change its course and head to the sea.

People in Manila always get back on their feet as soon as the storm leaves. We're so used to it, I guess, that it really is part of living here. Those in Mindanao, however, are still coming to grips with this new reality. Binabagyo na rin ang Mindanao ngayon. Imagine that?! My Lola, if she were still alive, would think it impossible.

To those in Mindanao, I hope you are safe. The most important thing I've learned, stranded in a pool of murky water outside our village during Ondoy, is to have lots of good, clean water on standby.