RELIEF. Gratitude. Hope. These are what Filipinos in America feel in the aftermath of yet another super typhoon, just a year after the Philippines was devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda, which killed more than six thousand people in November of 2013.
As the Weather Channel reported, Ruby (International name Hagupit) is now a tropical storm, which as of press time, is en route the South China Sea, after an arduous journey through the Philippines, having left behind up to 18 inches of rain. It made at least four landfalls in the country. Two of those were as a typhoon, and two more as a tropical storm.
Hagupit (Ruby) was reported to have made its first landfall at 9:15 p.m. Saturday night local time (the Philippines are 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time) near Dolores in eastern Samar, according to PAGASA, the Philippine national weather agency. It made a second landfall Sunday morning over the city of Cataingan on the island of Masbate; the typhoon’s center passed within 20 km (12 miles) of Masbate City at 2 p.m.local time Sunday.
The Weather Channel further reported that Ruby’s center passed about 55 miles south of Manila as of 1 am local time Tuesday (12 pm EST Monday in the US). Some 52 hours passed from its first landfall in Eastern Samar province to its closest approach to Manila.
The Weather Channel chronicled that a 78-mph peak sustained wind was clocked at Guiuan, at the southern tip of Eastern Samar Saturday night. Bands of heavy rain lashed Samar and Leyte, including Tacloban City,Saturday night.
Ruby has flooded many areas, destroyed houses, schools, buildings, and crops. Sadly, many of which are in areas devastated by Yolanda and are just in the rebuilding and rehabilitation process.
There have been no reported fatalities in Tacloban, where thousands died 13 months ago.
Ruby may have killed at least 21 people just a few weeks before Christmas, these recent news give us a glimpse of hope that finally, the government and the people are getting their acts together in disaster management.
To put this in perspective, it is important to note the following data as published by the Weather Channel:
Just three years ago in December 2011, Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong) dumped tremendous rainfall on the island of Mindanao, causing massive floods that killed 1,268 people. Winnie was only of tropical depression strength when it triggered deadly flooding in late Nov. 2004.
Records also show that just in the past 10 years, six separate tropical cyclones have each claimed over 1,000 lives in the Philippines, including:
– Haiyan/Yolanda, Nov. 2013: Over 7,300 killed (AP)
– Bopha/Pablo, Dec. 2012: 1,901 killed
– Washi/Sendong, Dec. 2011: 1,268 killed
– Fengshen/Frank, Jun. 2008: 1,410 killed
– Durian/Reming, Nov./Dec. 2006: 1,399 killed
– Winnie, Nov. 2004: 1,593 killed
This time around, the government had been more pre-emptive in its action. More than one million people had been evacuated due to the storm as of Monday evening, local time, according to the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
This time around, people in the storm’s path heeded the call for evacuation. Many lives were spared.
Strategic and timely information dissemination. Better coordination among government agencies, both on the local and national level. Stronger presence and leadership of national and local government officials. These all helped mitigate the damage to lives and property of storm Ruby.
While there is a lot more to be done in terms of disaster preparedness, environmental management and strategic long term planning to be more effective in resposponding to the wrath of Mother Nature, Ruby has revealed we have learned much from Yolanda.
The Power of Prayers
Prayer power has proven to be more powerful than the wrath of Hagupit, as Filipinos around the world prayed for God’s mercy to protect our kababayans back home.
Ruby, which built up to be a fierce supertyphoon, had been downgraded to a tropical storm, then became a tropical depression.
Philippine weather agency PAGASA reported that as of 5 am Philippines time on Tuesday, Dec. 9 (4 pm EST Monday in the US), Ruby had weakened to a tropical depression. By 11 am local time, the center was about 80 miles west of the city of Calapan and moving out to sea.
PAGASA has reportedly discontinued all public storm warning signals for the Philippines as of 11 am. Tuesday local time, although scattered locally heavy rain showers, however, continue.
The Weather Channel said the center of Hagupit (Ruby) should shift sufficiently far west by later Tuesday to pull most of the heaviest rain away from the Philippines by that time.
From coast to coast in America, kababayans offered prayers of thanksgiving, relieved to hear from family and friends that they are safe after Typhoon Ruby made its way through Central Philippines.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ‘RUBY’ RELIEF EFFORTS
LOOKING FOR WAYS TO HELP IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON? Sagip Kapamilya (Family Rescue), an ABS-CBN Foundation disaster relief program started its relief and rescue operations immediately after Ruby’s first landfall on Saturday, Dec. 6 in Eastern Samar and now in other parts of Luzon.
According to the ABS-CBN Foundation, there is an immediate need for food and medication among other basic relief goods to serve as many evacuees as possible.
Should you wish to help in Sagip Kapamilya’s relief and rescue operations, ABS-CBN Foundation has provided you with convenient options. Here’s how to donate:
1) Send check payable to Sagip Kapamilya to ABS-CBN Foundation International at 150 Shoreline Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065
2) Visitwww.abscbnfoundation.organd click donate to Sagip Kapamilya located at the homepage
3) Call (800) 527-2820
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
