The devastation that I see on TV is shocking. Although my hometown also braced for the storm, we experienced just a tiny fraction of what the people in Tacloban and other hard-hit areas experienced. The tragic scenes of men crying over dead wives and daughters, lifeless children covered in blankets, evacuation centers drenched and covered in debris-- it is heartbreaking and never something that one could wish on his worst enemy. As the water swelled and entered homes in Tacloban, we were safe, warm and dry inside our homes in Dumaguete, and even wondered if 'this' was it. Little did we know that in other places, people were fighting for and losing their lives. It is sad, the amount of lives lost. Could we have foreseen that the damage would be this great? Looking at how ravaged Tacloban is, the entire city should have been evacuated. Maybe no one saw it coming. We knew it was strong, but strong enough to pummel an entire city to the ground? Maybe not. 

I am rambling. There is no emotion but sadness. Sadness for all the lives lost, sadness for the survivors who are hurting for lost loved ones, for the survivors who have slept and will continue to sleep in the rain and cold, with little food, water, or clean clothing.

I really hope that this will be the last, at least until we get on our feet. We are a strong people, after all. But lately I have been feeling like we really deserve a break, a breather from all that's been going on. Suffering through typhoons and earthquakes is not a privilege in my book. An opportunity to learn lessons and test our capacity for kindness and strength, maybe, but to those who lost loved ones in the waves and floods, this is hardly a privilege that they would want to bear. 

Contact numbers for those looking to send help or donations can be found here.