PHILBOXING WRITER EXPERIENCES THE WRATH OF TYPHOON ODETTE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 21 Dec 2021
Super Typhoon Odette (Rai) struck Maasin City and the whole Southern Leyte on December 16. Approximately 85 percent of houses in Southern Leyte were damaged as reported by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.
When Odette walloped our place we were at a mountain barangay Nonok Norte to monitor the evacuation of people. We visited several villages since that morning but we were stranded in Nonok Norte due to fallen trees.
Early morning the next day we walked 10 kilometers with mixed crawling under and climbing over debris in the road. We passed by houses destroyed by the strong winds and fallen trees. Some of these residences were totally damaged.
After six hours of travel by foot I was able to backride a single motorcycle back home to see my house partially damaged by the cyclone where my wife and son were left to suffer the typhoon the traumatic night before.
Damage to infrastructure and agriculture in Southern Leyte is estimated at P3 billion, said Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Roger Mercado, former Representative of the Lone District of the Province.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has visited Maasin City, his birthplace last Saturday. He promised to give assistance to typhoon victims. The death toll in Southern Leyte rose to at least 21, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) in Eastern Visayas said on Tuesday.
Odette, the 15th tropical cyclone in the Philippines in 2021, made at least nine landfalls in the country, with Siargao Island suffering the first landfall. It left at least 375 people dead, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
It has maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near the center, gustiness of up to 240 kph, when it arrived Cebu according to PAG-ASA.
But the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi-NPP satellite recorded sustained winds of 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour, a category 4 super typhoon.
It was almost like Super Typhoon Yolanda minus the great storm surge. Although other places had powerful and destructive surges that time.
We have no electricity, and food, water and gasoline are scarce and communications are very difficult.
Covered courts, school buildings, offices, commercial buildings have either partial or total damages especially to their roofings.
Most churches here have no more roofs. Yet Misa de Gallo continued. Our faith was stronger than ever.
We barely survived the losses of the Covid-19 pandemic and here comes the most devastating typhoon ever experienced by our place.
Coconuts were left to stand with few or no more palms hanging. These are our main products together with abaca which had just survived the bungy top disease and were wiped out by the strong winds.
Christmas here is very gloomy and dark. Yet we still can afford to smile with a simple celebration of the coming of our Savior.
Lord Thy will be done. Still we can say with tears in our eyes and with mixed emotions, "Merry Christmas!"
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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