The Pinoy as prepper

Yesterday was like a vacuum. Everything was eerily still. It was as if the coming storm had sucked out all motion of the universe into itself. This scares me as I recall it was also like this the day before Yolanda came.

But today, the trees are starting to sway. It’s already about seven in the morning but the sky has remained dark as gray clouds cover the sun rising in the horizon. The day begins with this gloomy mood as we all expect supertyphoon Ruby to hit  anytime this Saturday as I write this column.

On Friday, as classes were suspended, I stayed home to do obligatory prepping. I stuffed my emergency kits with fresh supplies of food packs, meds, batteries, etc. I charged my portable radio and flashlights while there was still electricity. The solar lamps were brought out to be exposed to the sun.

I refilled my kerosene lamps, bought more packs of charcoal, matches and candles. I hauled some junk wood from our subdivision construction site to be used as additional fuel in case I have to use a charcoal stove when power supply is cut after the storm.

Expecting that water supply too would fail for a few days after the storm, I filled all our water containers with filtered water. I augmented our regular supply of potable water by filling everything that might hold clean water: cooking pots, plastic boxes, jars and soda bottles. I used a Brita pitcher to filter tap water. We washed our clothes and put them out to dry under the sun. Now, if only I could shower myself 10 times in advance.

I had bought more extra-large garbage bags for packing clothes, appliances, and my books in case the storm would  get strong enough to blow off the windows (which I prepared to cover with plywood) or roof.

Even before Yolanda, I had learned to store rice, monggo, corn, and pet food in plastic soda bottles. These  food-grade plastic containers  keep bugs and water out, which make them safe even during floods.

From ukay-ukay shops, I had bought cheap but still good life vests for each of us in the family. Our subdivision is elevated by about six meters from sea level as we live along Cansaga bay in Consolacion. The bay is covered with mangroves, a good buffer for storm surge. Still, you can’t take chances. You’ll never know how a supertyphoon will behave. Yolanda was such an unpredictable deadly beast.

In fact, that supertyphoon taught us a lot of painful lessons. We learned how vulnerable we are to extreme disasters in this age of climate change being a country directly facing the Pacific Ocean. We learned the importance of disaster preparedness. We learned to demand from government a more serious strategy of civil defense.

We learned how critical it is for emergency responders to have enough rescue equipment and communications gadgets. We learned the importance of early warning and evacuation. We know now why government cannot rely anymore on less formidable public schools for emergency shelters during disasters. It should invest in evacuation centers that can withstand the strongest earthquakes or typhoons and  should always be stocked with food and medical supplies.

But we also learned the importance of educating the public on disaster preparedness, something  which should best begin at home. The aftermath of Yolanda  induced the most effective learning experience for all of us. Now, we realize that we cannot rely so much on government anymore. We need to make our own preparations for our family to survive the next disaster.

We see such a dramatic increase in the consciousness of the nation for disaster preparedness as we brace for typhoon Ruby. In Leyte, people trooped to  evacuation centers even before local authorities asked them to. We see residents  panic buying, assembling emergency kits, and strengthening their homes by tying them with rope and covering glass windows with plywood boards.

Like me, every Filipino has become a doomsday prepper. As trees begin to sway and dark clouds billow in the sky, we can no longer sit back and just say “bahala na.”