Eastern Visayas once again is challenged by the ordeal of natural disasters as Super Typhoon Odette lambasted Southern Leyte while inflicting damages to parts of Leyte and Samar. Odette also left Bohol, Cebu, Surigao and parts of Northern Mindanao to debris. Just eight (8) years ago, it was Leyte and Eastern Samar’s turn of languishing from the scourging wrath of Super Typhoon Yolanda. What transpired during Odette was nothing short of déjà vu of Yolanda.
Typhoons and disasters are a common occurrence in the eastern seaboard that people living in these parts of the country can attribute their struggling economic conditions to the frequency of these natural calamities. When a calamity occurs, vast damages to agriculture and fisheries are certain. Damages to infrastructures and livelihood will force local government units to reset programs, realign funds for rehabilitation and recovery therefore stagnate impending development projects. Many of our brethren quickly joined hands to extend help of any kind to the affected. The days without telecommunication signals didn’t hamper as relief flooded towards the affected areas. Even the areas hardly accessible were reached out. Private help paved the way ahead of government and foreign aid. Affected government units went from shocked to hopeful. Surely, they weren’t expecting such catastrophic experience. They were stunned and dazed to see the years of accumulated progress brought about by the fruits of their respective governance quickly turned to shambles and wreckages. But as help came in, they began to beacon the beam of hope to their constituents. That they can always restart from ground zero. That they weren’t alone. That aside from the government and foreign aid, here are their brethren from the region that will readily assist them to stand again. For us, the ever-resilient people of Eastern Visayas, no calamity will ever force us quit on our lives. We will sprout like those pruned trees and branches and will live and strive for another day. Let us forever trumpet our battle cry moving forward. ‘Today is better than Yesterday!’
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