More than a week after super typhoon Haiyan (locally coded Yolanda) severely ravaged Eastern Visayas, typhoon victims remain helpless despite ongoing relief operations courtesy of the different countries, concerned citizens, and local government. Still in shock, aimless, and hardly struggling to survive , affected residents just don’t know where to start to reconstruct lost properties and rebuild self prestige.
Currently, there are some evacuated families housed in Rosario, Cavite and a great number were temporarily adopted by good Samaritans. The government gets all agencies mobilized to rapidly respond and aid affected areas. With the way things are going and with foreign aids coming non-stop, rehabilitation is believed to be sooner than expected.
Here in the tri-state area, just as in the entire world, Filipino-American organizations are deeply concentrating on doing every possible fundraising effort. Last Saturday, the 16th, Garden State Filipino-American Association held its annual event; Wednesday, the 20th., newly crowned Miss World 2013 Megan Young spearheaded PIDCI’s fundraiser at Double Tree Newark Hotel; on Saturday, the 23rd, AFTA will hold a masquerade ball; and on Dec. 13 young tenor Jared Martin will stage his Mon Premier Cabaret concert at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in New York, just to name a few.
The simultaneous global relief response to the Philippines must have been instinctively guided by one of Sir Winston Churchill’s famous quotations, “We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.”
With the disheartening aftermath of Yolanda in the Philippines, we recall other countries that suffered the most destruction from the strongest recorded typhoons. The ten recorded most destructive typhoons in the world and the areas damaged
1. Bhola Cyclone (Nov. 12, 1970) – Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal
2. Typhoon Nina (1975) – China and neighboring countries
3. Hurricane Kenna –(Oct. 25, 2002 )– Mexico’s West Coast
4. Hurrican Iniki (Sept. 1992) the Island of Kaua’i
5. Hurricane Pauline (1997) Mexican coastlines
6. Galveston Hurricane (Sept. 8, 1900) Galveston Texas
7. Hurricane Ike (2008) Cuba, Bahamas, Haiti
8. The Great Hurricane of 1780 Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, and Florida
9. Hurricane Andrew (1992) Bahamas, southern Florida, and southwest Louisiana.
10. Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) Louisiana and Mississippi
**On October 12, 1979, Typhoon Tip hit Guam and Japan which caused a great damage to lives and properties. It was recorded to be the largest tropical cyclone ever experienced in the entire world. Hurricane Sandy which made a landfall on Oct. 21-31, 1012 was undoubtedly strong but merely damaged the US east coast particularly the eastern seaboard.
The 15 most destructive typhoons in the Philippines and the areas damaged:
1. Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on Nov. 8 – 9, 2013 (350 kph) Visayas and Mindanao
2. Super Typhoon Loleng (Babs) on Oct. 15 – 24, 1998 (250 kph) majority of Luzon
3. Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) on Sept. 25-27, 2009 (230 kph) Manila and Central Luzon
4. Super Typhoon Ruping (Mike) on Nov. 10-14, 1990 Visayas and Mindanao and parts of Southern Tagalog region
5. Typhoon Undang (Agnes) on Nov. 3-6, 1984 (230 kph) Visayas and Mindanao
6. Typhoon Rosing (Angela) on Oct 30 -Nov. 4, 1995 (260 kph) Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Southern Tagalog regions
7. Super Typhoon Sening (Joan) on Oct. 11-15, 1970 (275 kph) Virac Point, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Quezon Province, Laguna, and Bataan.
8. Typhoon Sisang (Nina) on Nov. 23-27, 1987 (240 kph) Bicol Region, Camarines Sur & Norte, Mindoro and Marinduque
9. Typhoon Amy on Dec. 6-19, 1951 (240 kph) Visayas and Northern Palawan
10. Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) on June 15, 2008 (165 kph) Luzon and Visayas
11. Pepeng (Parma) on Oct. 2-10, 2009 the entire country
12. Typhoon Juan (Megi) on Oct. 18-21, 2004 (287 kph)Luzon
13. Typhoon Pedring (Nesat) on Sept. 25, 2011 (194 kph) Bicol, Metro Manila, and nearby provinces
14. Sendong (Washi) on Dec. 16-17, 2012 (95kph only but with more than 10 hours of torrential rain) Misamis Oriental and Occidental, and Bukidnon
15. Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) on Dec. 9, 2012 (280 kph) Mindanao and the Visayas
The spate of natural calamities which inevitably makes us think that these could be a clear sign that something much more impacting is yet to come and we hope not. Just last Sunday, November 17, a week after Haiyan’s devastation of the Philippines, 109 million people were put in high alert in storm risk zones in the Midwest due to a severe weather condition that threatened almost 26 states with tornado touchdowns.
The aftermath left a widespread of damages in Illinois, particularly in Washington, where everything was flattened. Cars were tossed and flipped in the air while houses were mercilessly stripped off their roofs and walls.
Chicago, the Windy City, has been accustomed to such weather condition but this time it was scary and life-threatening. The tornadoes hit so fast in very densely populated areas causing significant damage. It was reported that there were at least 48 tornadoes, 28 recorded hailstorms, and 98 cases of wind damages.
Simultaneously, across the globe, there was flooding in Riyadh, Volcanic eruption in Indonesia, a mining accident in Southwestern Colorado, and a Boeing 737 plane crash in Russia that killed all 50 people on board.
Undoubtedly, these escalating numbers of disaster and crisis are indeed threatening not to mention the worsening global warming uncontrollably causing climate changes.
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Remembering John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)
Still sulking in frustration of what they could have done, people close to the Kennedy clan commemorated with immeasurable sadness the 50th death anniversary of the 35th US President.
Born John Fitzgerald Kennedy, named after his grandfather John Francis Fitzgerald then Boston mayor, the once frail and sickly boy grew up to be one of the world’s most respected leaders after being the youngest elected president of the USA in 1960.
Married to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier from Southampton, New York on September 12, 1953, they were blessed with three kids, Caroline, John, Jr., and Patrick, who died due to a serious lung ailment just days after birth.
On Friday, November 22, 1963 while on a motorcade along the busy thoroughfare of Dallas, Texas President Kennedy was shot and was pronounced dead at 1:00 PM (Central Standard Time) at Parkland Hospital. The assassin, a certain Lee Harvey Oswald, was immediately apprehended at the Texas Theater. That afternoon, the entire world mourned in unison with the devastating passing of a great man.
During the funeral, all eyes were focused on a stunningly brave lady in black, who was widowed at 34, standing firmly with a child on both hands, trying to hold back her tears and remained strong for her kids and countrymen.
The three shots fired that killed the President had changed America forever. Ironically, eight months before his assassination, the late President visited Arlington Cemetery. Impressed by the breathtaking sight from where he stood, he commented, “I can live here forever!” And as if prophesized, he did!
He was buried the mid-day of Monday, November 25, 1963 at the Arlington Cemetery, the same place where he felt tranquility and contentment.
Grief and hope were made tangible with the presence of an eternal flame that marked the legacy of an American leader so well loved despite his brief reign. After 50 years and with a few repairs and updating, Kennedy’s eternal flame continues to burn and inspire the world with dedicated patriotism.
In one of his speeches, Kennedy used his favorite quotation from Robert Frost’s work: “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep!”
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