The Fury Of Mother Nature

The destruction caused by Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines, particularly in the National Capital Region and most parts of Luzon, displayed the unrelenting fury of mother nature. The catastrophe was akin to what happened during the Ormoc flash flood that claimed thousands of lives. It was very devastating and horrifying that even those who survived the sudden rise of rain water are until still trying to pacify their hearts and minds up to now with regards to the trauma they experienced.

One of the most interesting facts about Typhoon Ondoy is that it poured down heavy rain for about nine hours which according to PAG-ASA was equivalent to the amount of rainfall received by a certain area for one month! For example in Quezon City, it poured down about 455 mm of rain in 24 hours, breaking the record of Hurricane Katrina which only brought 250 mm of rain in New Orleans.

As I watched the news on the tv, the scene of people carried away by the flood, of homeless families settling on gyms, schools, and other public facilities without sleeping mats, blankets, and food to eat, of individuals grieving for their lost properties and love ones, and of the destruction that costs millions, it really breaks my heart that all of these things happened. Don't we have handful of problems already to deserve this kind of tragedy? This is the question addressed to God that I guess is ranting in our minds right now.



Sometimes, when the tragedy is massive and the pain brought by that tragedy is too much for us to bear, it is easy for us to raise our heads and ask God WHY? We are so consumed with our miseries that we failed to acknowledge our contributions to the realization of these tragedies that come into our lives. Most of the time, we create our own disasters and Typhoon Ondoy is one of these. Typhoon Ondoy is the classic example of the catastrophies that will inflict destruction to mankind brought about by climate change. We are just reaping the deeds we sow, the harmfull things we do to mother earth. The small negligence we did, like throwing of candy wrappers and cigarette buts everywhere, and the massive things we performed, like illegal logging and convertion of virgin forest into agricultural and industrial lands, have finally brought us this. No one to blame but us, citizens of this abused planet.



Reactive: Let us help our fellow brothers and sisters in Luzon. Let us donate and contribute whatever we can. Whether in cash or in goods, all these things will at least help alleviate their sufferings right now. Let us help rebuild not just their homes but likewise their spirits, their lives. Through thick and thin, I know we Filipinos will be able to survive this disaster because it is always been our nature to help and hold on to one another in times of crisis. God is always there for us.



Proactive: One of the lessons that this experience taught us is the law of cause and effect. We have abused mother nature because of our ambition for industrialization, now the consequences of our actions have brought us harm. With the same mantra our environmentalists rant, I will say it again: Let us plant more trees, recycle, maintain cleanliness, use technologies that are ecofriendly, conserve energy, and advocate in saving and preserving nature. Let us not wait for another catastrophe such us Typhoon Ondoy to wake us up. Now is the time to act. Remember that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.