 |
| image via CNN.com |
On Friday, November 8th Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), believed to be the strongest typhoon ever recorded, made landfall in central Philippines. In the wake of this calamity, the damage it has brought the nation is slowly being unraveled. Many families have lost their homes, their livelihoods, as well as their loved ones. It is feared that the number of lives lost will continue to rise, as the full extent of the damage the typhoon has brought the nation is revealed.
 |
| image via CNN.com |
The Philippines was my home for almost 13 years. My family originated from the province of Leyte, which received the most damage from the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan. I've spent days sitting in front of both the television and my laptop waiting for news to come out of my mother's hometown (Tacloban and Barugo, Leyte). It has been three days and we have not made contact with any of our relatives who were currently residing in Leyte when the typhoon hit. This weekend, I saw my mom cry helplessly in the wee hours of the morning while sitting in front of her laptop as news slowly trickled in from her province. As for myself, it weakens me to the core just thinking about what could have possibly happened to my relatives back at home, more than 8,000 miles away. It's the helpless, disheartening feeling of being so far away from your loved ones that depletes the hope you have left.
However, as one commentator on the CNN news site said,
"[it's] time to get to know the hardy Filipino people…unbelievably resilient, long-suffering, good-natured, uber friendly, loyal, ingenious, and a bunch of survivors. At the end of the day, the Filipinos will just shake off the dirt from their clothes, and go about their business…and SMILE. They do not complain much, they will bear as long as they can. Maybe this is why they were given the 'privilege' of bearing the burden of the strongest typhoon ever recorded. The indomitable human spirit at its finest”
This being said, the Philippines remains to be a resilient nation filled with kindhearted people. Let's all work together to help the nation rise up from ruins that this typhoon has left them in.
for those interested in aiding in the ongoing relief efforts in the Philippines, please follow the links below to see how you can help:
No comments:
Post a Comment