It was November 8, 2013, when typhoon Yolanda hit the Visayas, causing widespread

devastation across the region, including our neighborhood in other portions of the country.
We’ve been informed by the broadcast to be prepared for the possibility of the typhoon making
landfall in our area. The morning was so pleased that you couldn’t realize that there would be a
vast typhoon wreaking havoc on our nation, not until the rain began to pour, accompanied by
intermittent gusts of wind. My brother and I began having a good time without realizing that the
typhoon was not a joke but rather a super typhoon that was about to hit our country. We start
filming with our mobile phone, pretending to be a broadcaster while having a good time until
everything becomes serious. The wind started to blow violently; which made us panic, and we
immediately retreated to our house when we realized that it could not resist the typhoon’s
strength. We’ve gathered the essential belongings; it was a terrible moment for each of us. I
remembered how I cried the whole time, thinking that we were in no way safe.

We go for the neighbor’s house to take safety. After a few minutes, the wind becomes
more robust, the roof begins to sway in the blow, and trees start to fall to the ground. I found
myself crying at the back door, trying to find my father with my two eyes, but I couldn’t see him
nor my brother. I called my mother and said, “Mom, where’s dad?” She responded that he had
attempted to visit our house. After two minutes, my father and brother arrive with tears in their
eyes, saying, “our home collapsed, it was entirely destroyed.” We are very miserable at that
moment, thinking that we would be forced to live in a wrecked house after this disaster. It seems
like the day was so sluggish the time seems to appear that every minute should be remembered.
When we felt frightened in the shelter, we instantly fled to another house that was nearby. The
typhoon passed through and left severe damage everything is a mess, the day is winding down,
and the moon goes up, there are a lot of fireflies to be seen, and the sounds of silence are
drowned out by our thoughts on how to get through the next moment. It was apparent to see the
sadness in everyone’s eyes, the fact that they couldn’t figure out why these things had to happen
in the first place.

November 8 comes to a close, and I am grateful that we are all safe. Although things like this
happen, we are thankful that we have not been harmed. I attempted to wipe the tears from my
eyes as we walked outside our shelter and into our home, telling myself that we needed to start
over. We are now living in the year 2021, and yes, we have experienced several tragedies during
our lives. Thanks to everyone who has assisted us in rising from the ashes of those catastrophes.
For God, who has never allowed us to be injured by uncontrollable environmental consequences,
and for my family, who has never stopped working to ensure our safety. We cannot prevent
disasters in life; they are natural and, sure, they are unavoidable; all we can do is prepare and
take the necessary steps before, during, and after the disaster. We need to understand more about
disasters and how to survive in the event of one occurring.