Notes

On December 16th at around eleven in the morning, the electricity went out. The rain had been falling nonstop, and our front yard had begun to flood. We could hear the wind howling in unison with the street animals and the sound of things breaking and falling. Because there was no running water, we had to collect rainwater to use for washing and flushing the toilet. Within minutes, my phone signal dropped. <br>
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I felt so powerless and hopeless, burdened by thoughts of people back home (I was with my relatives at that time which was far from my family). I wondered if they knew what was going on with us at the time and if they were concerned. I had no way of telling them what was going on, which was ramping up my anxiety.<br>
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I couldn&apos;t sleep that night because of all the noise, and it was also extremely hot because there was no electricity. I was concerned about a number of issues, but all I wanted was for the storm to pass.<br>
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The next morning appeared to be a warzone. The first post-typhoon meal we had was canned goods, my auntie had stocked canned goods before the typhoon. Fortunately, we had prepared all of our necessities. We drank coffee. and I can say that it was fun because it had been a long time since we had the chance to talk about our activities in life due to the use of our phones and as well as their busy schedules. In the meantime, I presume it provided us with the necessary bond that we barely have a time for.<br>
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I am fortunate in that our house stood firm and no one in my relatives was injured. I was moved to tears as I saw how the typhoon destroyed many homes, robbed people of their livelihoods, and, worst is it caused mortalities.<br>
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Moreover, it did not take long for people to realize that the only people on whom they could rely on were each other. Those who had water to spare offered it to those who didn&apos;t have any. Those with generators provided a place for others to charge their devices. People exchanged information about where to find the best LTE signal in the city. They shared information about gas stations and went out of their way to bring other necessities to those who had the most difficulty accessing them. It was in the worst of times that we saw the best of humanity.<br>
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indeed! No one, as human as we are, is above or below when it comes to life and death. No amount of assistance is small enough for a larger cause. We need each other to survive and live a purpose-driven life, rich or poor. Life is too precious and too short not to live it fully.<br>
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What&apos;s the most upsetting? It is when Typhoon Odette destroys almost everything in 6 hours but takes over a month to restore.<br>
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Odette left a hair-raising memory when she brought the fiercest winds and heavy rains on a Thursday afternoon. After Odette, we know better: our relationships are the most important thing in our lives. It is the people we love and our relationships with them that we must treasure most, not the futile accumulation of material wealth that can vanish in an instant. We will never lose these loving bonds if we focus our lives on building and enriching our relationship, no matter how many Odettes come into our lives.<br>
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Odette left us with a lot of devastation. However, its lessons can only make us stronger as a people and as individuals. We will never lose sight of what is truly important if we focus on it.<br>
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