Yes, typhoon Yoyong was pretty feisty here in Vizcaya, and quite destructive throughout its course in the Philippines. In my barangay homes were inundated by the Magat River, fields and crops destroyed, irrigation canals clogged, and hundreds - thousands perhaps - trees felled. All in all, a natural disaster. While the hurricanes that regularly hit Florida are destructive the citizens of that state are lucky to enjoy the services of a huge corps of volunteers and the national guard - something definitely lacking here. For the first few days after the storm I helped my landlord, Arthur, clean out their home and return sundry possessions from the Day Care Center, to where they had evacuated. People approached the clean up work with resignation, some saying that the storm was sent by God in retribution for their sins - a sad and difficult theology to swallow; little by little things will return to normal.
In fact, things were normal enough the day after the storm that, after the waters had subsided, the sari-sari stores were open and sugarcane gin flowed once again. Given the breadth of change, desiring to sit back and reassess over wine is an understandable course of action.
The greatest amount of work lies in the fields. Rice cannot be planted in a rock filled patty; most of the rock from the roads was washed into the adjacent irrigation ditches and fields creating the bulk of required repair. The first order of business has been to clean the debris from homes and clear the roads; both tasks were accomplished quickly and effectively.
If anyone is interested in sending funds to help provide relief from this latest series of storms (four in less than two weeks), follow the URL listed here:
As for me, all is well. My home was unaffected by the storm, other than branches falling from nearby trees on the roof.
Regarding my previous post: I have followed through on my self-admonition to find positive ways whereby my service may end. Certain efforts have already produced results; others remain promising. I maintain that my previous decision to abandon the water project was the right thing to do, and am happy that other avenues of usefulness have presented themselves.
In fact, things were normal enough the day after the storm that, after the waters had subsided, the sari-sari stores were open and sugarcane gin flowed once again. Given the breadth of change, desiring to sit back and reassess over wine is an understandable course of action.
The greatest amount of work lies in the fields. Rice cannot be planted in a rock filled patty; most of the rock from the roads was washed into the adjacent irrigation ditches and fields creating the bulk of required repair. The first order of business has been to clean the debris from homes and clear the roads; both tasks were accomplished quickly and effectively.
If anyone is interested in sending funds to help provide relief from this latest series of storms (four in less than two weeks), follow the URL listed here:
As for me, all is well. My home was unaffected by the storm, other than branches falling from nearby trees on the roof.
Regarding my previous post: I have followed through on my self-admonition to find positive ways whereby my service may end. Certain efforts have already produced results; others remain promising. I maintain that my previous decision to abandon the water project was the right thing to do, and am happy that other avenues of usefulness have presented themselves.
posted by peter at 21:09
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