FELLOWMEN, WE CAN EMERGE FROM THE RUBBLE

Never look back. We have come across this philosophy printed on shirts, heard in
sappy-moving on songs, found on photos, tweeted on the best freedom wall in town
(Twitter) and like any other mantra this world has known, things are always easier said
than done.
Never look back. Well, in Lorna Mabags case, it took her a year which seemed to
last for decades, only to accumulate the courage and strength to quest on a 45 minute
journey from her home to a place that used to be her home, but now, a ruin that
perpetually spells out loss and demise. It is impossible to never look back. Indeed, she
couldnt set foot on Tacloban without finding all the bad memories rushing in. She knew
without a doubt that it would be the most excruciating, heart-wrenching journey her life
has ever had. She contemplated through it several times and ultimately, she settled to a
decision to visit the grave of her young children. They were torn from her in an instant,
five of them aged between two and twelve. Her desperate attempts to cling on to them
were in vain in a storm of unimaginable force. The memory of her kids being swept away
from her embrace by a colossal and potent wave inflicted by the most vigorous typhoon
that ever struck, shaken and bruised not only our archipelago but our world super
typhoon Haiyan.
The Filipino people were immensely devastated by the ordeal Haiyan brought to
our nation homes were wrecked, families were divided and agriculture were
catastrophically ruined. But in spite of this life-altering malady, the Filipino people did not
fret, fear or lose hope. Our nation fervently believed that there is a crack of light in a
dome of darkness. Our nation can renew and be whole again. And so it proved.
Uring. Nitang. Ruping. Amy. Frank. Pablo. Yolanda. These are but a few of the most
potent typhoons that seized our native land. These are the consequences that come
along with having the Pacific Ocean as our next door neighbor. We experience these
malaises more than 20 times a year, but do we really know the process behind the
feasibility of its formation and development? More significantly, do we know what to do
before, during and after a typhoon?
The Causes of Typhoons

Warm water thats the primary cause of a typhoon. Brought about by the
abundance of warm water, there is a substantial amount of energy for a typhoon. Water
at temperatures of 79.7 degrees F at a depth of 50 meters or more is required. If
conditions like these dont occur, hence, a typhoon wont form. Warm water, when it
mixes with cold air, creates a low pressure system. This is the start of that typhoon.
Abundance of water the next cause of a typhoon. Once the typhoon has been
developed, it needs to be uninterruptedly fed. Therefore, high humidity must be in
attendance near the eye of the storm. As more heat meets with cold air, it upshots in
more low pressure systems which triggers wind movement even more.
The tricky question is, where does the low pressure winds come from? When the
northeast and southeast trade winds merge on each other, this results in a cooling of the
air. If these winds never meet, there wont be a typhoon because there wont be a low
pressure system. This cooling is what meets up with the warm water and starts to cause
the basis for a typhoon formation.
Location a significant factor to consider in typhoon formations. An area has to be
situated for at least five degrees north of the Equator. That is the most ample location for
viable typhoon development. Because of the precision and exactitude of the condition
required, one would suppose that typhoons are rare or at least infrequent. However,
scientists and weather analysts suggest that the number of typhoons that occurs in a
region has a direct connection to global warming.
Typhoons are indeed unavoidable maladies. It is just rightful for us to be well
equipped and suitably prepared before, during and after a catastrophe that may come
our way.
Before a Typhoon
1. Keep yourself updated. With the various media platforms (television, radio or
the internet) it is next to impossible to not be updated of the supposed
typhoons movement.
2. Inspect and clean up your house. Check electrical circuits, and other possible
sources of short circuits.

3. Store adequate amount of ready-to-eat foods and water.

4. If you are advised to evacuate, do so. Always have your emergency kits with
you.

During a Typhoon
1. Stay calm and never panic. If no recommendation to evacuate was announced,
then it is best for us to stay inside the comfort of your home.
2. Keep yourself posted on the typhoons movement through media (television,
radio or the internet).
3. If you see signs of water escalating, immediately turn off your main switch.
4. Do not wallow along flooded areas to keep yourself from obtaining water-borne
illnesses.
5. If you are told to evacuate, keep calm and do not break into a rattle. Grab
youre invaluable belongings and promptly navigate to the nearest evacuation
center.
After a Typhoon
1. Monitor yourself with the up-to-date progress of the typhoons current state
through radio, television or the internet, if they are accessible.
2. If your house was one of the roughly damaged, make sure that you seek advice
from the authorities regarding its safety, immovability and stability.
3. Wear protective gears such as boots. Water-borne illnesses such as Leptospirosis
do not only propagate in the duration of the typhoon, but also subsequently.
4. Commence a general clean up. Dispose containers (tires, cans, or pots) that may
be a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The world may look at us like we are a bruised nation, but the Filipino
people will rise, prosper and prove them wrong. No vigorous storm can put us to
dust, no forceful wave can make us fret, and no mighty wind can ever make us
falter. This country may thrash and bend, but it will never ever break. Fellowmen,
we can emerge from the rubble.