Surviving the Aftermath of Typhoon Odette (Hurricane Rai)

 Surviving the Days After Typhoon Odette (Rai)

by Francheska Camille

April 17, 2022

In my previous blog, I explained to you how strong and damaging the Typhoon Odette (Rai) was to my home, Talisay City, Cebu. The remnants of the hurricane's ravage can still be seen everywhere, including in the hearts of the people of the Visayas. Many have had their homes disfigured, and many lost them for good, and that's the most painful part of it all.

After the night of the 16th day of December in 2021, we woke up to a cloudy morning on the 17th. The sun slowly peeked through the thick, grey clouds, as if reminding us of hope, despite the most fateful event that left us hesitant to believe in it. I mean, who can blame us for hesitating? We were left anxious because of the destructive experience that had us thinking twice about whether to come out of our homes. 

The wind still had an eerie ambiance, the darkness of the night, and the shadows of the storm still lingered all over the town. Out of curiosity about how the town looked after we heard the destruction as it reverberated, we took the courage to step out.

Upon our investigation, we saw with our teary eyes how our nightmares came to life. 

                    

        

            

 

By the grace of the Almighty Creator, we survived the hurricane, but we had to deal with more than its tailwinds right after it. 

The following days were nightmares of their own. We had full phone batteries, but there was no phone service. The water district couldn't keep our tap water running, for there was no electricity all over the island, and even generator sets could only help pump so much water. Our stocked water for drinking could only last for a limited amount of time, and so goes with the limited food left in our fridge. The days after the hurricane were apocalyptic episodes of their own.

How we survived the aftermath of the hurricane

The hurricane heightened not only our personal struggles as a family, but also the economic struggles that we'll never be able to forget. Those struggles, we can still feel to date. The hurricane deprived us of the most crucial things: electricity, water, food, and most of all, shelter. But we were able to counteract the pains of the aftermath through simple survival hacks that we learned from strangers who posted them online. 

Making a Temporary Light (Gasera)

There was no electricity on the entire island, except for those lucky enough to secure generator sets for themselves. Electricity didn't return until after more than a month of restoration operations. Having no electricity had us resorting to flashlights, phones, and the daylight itself. But we found it inconvenient for the time being, as most of our gadgets were rechargeable. 

We had to endure days and weeks of darkness before our village's electricity posts were restored. Having no light was the most immense problem for us, especially when we needed it most for preparing our food. However, we found a practical solution for it. The best thing is that the things we need to make it can be found in the kitchen!

A netizen from Facebook shared a trick that they used when they'd experienced power outages. To do it, one would simply need:

• A non-plastic container (it could be glasses, bowls, or cups, as long as it's not made of plastic);
• Used or new oil for cooking;
• Grains (like uncooked rice, salt, or sand);
• A matchstick and
• A cotton ball

Steps to make it:

1. Put grains in your preferred non-plastic container. Make sure your container is not a flammable material. You can use salt, beans, sand, or small stones as long as they can hold a candle wick in place.
2. Pour oil into the container with grains. You can use used cooking oil or new one. The only difference it makes is that if you use used oil, it will emit a darker-colored smoke. Also, make sure you leave an inch from the container's mouth empty. Don't pour the oil up to the tip of the container to avoid exposing the wick to air that may turn it off.
3. For the wick, use a matchstick, or measure, and cut any stick available according to the size of your jar. Cover the stick with cotton properly to make a good flame. You can also use cotton buds on wooden sticks.
4. Place the wick you made into the center of the container, and Voila! You now have a reusable lamp, or as people call it, a GASERA.

A few tips:

• You can oil the wick to light it up easily.
• You'll notice that the longer it lights, the oil will be absorbed and will lessen. Just refill the oil and it's ready to be used again.
• You can also use other oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, and such. And, you can add a couple of drops from your favorite essential oils that help you relax.
• ALWAYS REMEMBER to put your GASERA in a SAFE SPOT to AVOID FIRE ACCIDENTS. Please be mindful and alert, always!

 

This is called a "gasera". It is a DIY candle lamp that lasts for hours before it dies off, which was pretty convenient for the over-a-month-long power outage that lingered in the hurricane-affected areas, such as our village. This saved us from the dark nights after the first day of Christmas!

Water Problems

During the aftermath, we had a tough time looking for water to drink. Our water district was also devastated by the storm, and they relied on the electricity to keep running. But then again, there was NO ELECTRICITY because the entire island is under a total blackout, and it still was not restored! The local government gave them generator sets, but power was limited, and wasn't enough for the needs of its customers entirely. 

On a similar note, the local government prioritized generator sets for water-refilling stations to counteract the drinking-water problems being faced by the people. Lines in water refilling stations were infested, and sometimes, they would only serve a certain amount of number per day to give the generator sets a little rest. This was for safety measures to avoid it from blowing up or overheating. We had no choice but to extend our patience and understanding, for the sake of our safety. Also, we need to tolerate this issue to sustain the generator set's use for the next few days, because we still have no clue when the power will be back. 

Relying on limited supplies of water, lining up to get it, and availing only 2 gallons per family in the end, as per the local seller's rule, is not helping any single one of us. Although we understand it was for fairness, it wasn't suitable for each family, as we all come in different family sizes. 

As a survival action, we resorted to small water bottles being sold by the mall, 8 bottles each person. But those bottles can be consumed in a day! We had no better options. There were even days we'd have to drink water from our neighbor's water pump just to survive the thirst. 

For the sake of survival, we had no choice but to make use of our available free resources. Still, we were thankful for the free resources that were still available for us despite the storm destroying most of our things.

Our Problems with Preserving Food

One of the biggest problems we faced during the aftermath days was how we could store our food. Since the fridge does not work, our food didn't last long until the next day. We would need to buy a lot more food and make sure it's enough for us to consume in one day. We were hesitant to store it up for the next day, as it would rot and smell. Unlike when we had a functioning fridge, it was always easy to store food without having to fear it would rot. We didn't have much choice but to continue what we're doing until the electricity comes back. Truly, knowing we couldn't save our food for the next day was the hardest problem to face after the storm.

A Whole New Perspective

After the storm, we had to survive its effects on us that lingered in the next days, weeks, and even months. It sure was a tough experience for us all! But what I've learned from the survival mode is to never lose hope and see things from a different perspective. By different perspectives, I meant to see that after all the traumatic things that happened, we learned a different way of living life.

I could still remember how we barely even talked to our neighbors before the hurricane happened. We'd look at each other with indifferent faces, but as ironic as it gets, we smile when we get into conversations. 

Before the typhoon, my family and I would be home before 4p.m., and then we'd lock the gate as early as 6p.m. No one gets out after the gate is closed! It was crazy how strict life was for us before, but after the hurricane, we were even allowed to go out in the evening just to find a charging station for our rechargeable gadgets. 

We found out that it wasn't so bad after all, walking in the dark streets at night. Although it creeped us out, it changed the way we saw and felt about things, especially those things we've had so much prejudice about beforehand. 

Life changed dramatically after that cruel storm. We came out alive, and more importantly, we will never be the same people we were before it happened. We underwent the rules of survival, and since then, it gave our lives a whole new meaning: that we are more than what we are made of; we’re not just survivors, we’re living beings.