Preparation

Idid some pruning days ago, asking a neighbor to cut away the leaves of the coconut tree in our yard. The tree survived the onslaught of typhoon Odette several years ago but I was not banking on confidence. The direction of the wind is not the same from storm to storm and I was not sure if the winds would spare our tree this time around.

Odette was devastating, toppling down two giant trees in our neighborhood, plus one coconut tree in the yard of our neighbor. Those trees spared the nearby houses and fell instead on vacant lots, thus lessening the damage to human life and properties but second time lucky is not easy to get. So I was prepared this time around.

Far from home, my batchmate Stephen decided to postpone our scheduled Saturday gathering. But typhoon Betty slowed down when it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility so that instead of bringing rain, it brought sunshine instead. But Stephen should not have misgivings for what he did. Preparation is important in facing possible tragedy and as long as we are prepared we should not be angered if what we are preparing for does not happen. Knowing that you prepared well is enough.

Betty devastated Guam before it headed to the Philippines. Guam is a US territory so it had the resources to face the devastation. Still, we are saddened by what happened there. And we are a bit elated that we have been spared. One drawback to that is that we will never know if our preparation was enough. One consolation can be found in the saying, “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

By the way, we may fault the late former president Noynoy Aquino for many things but surely not for heightening our sense of preparation for weather disturbances. I watched television recently and I could sense that the government’s preparation for typhoon Betty was high. I liked that. Learning lessons is always good. Betty is headed for Luzon and the government should be prepared for the devastation no matter how strong the wind or how heavy the rainfall.

One thing I like is the obvious improvement in technology. While we still need to rely on Pag-asa for official information, the country’s weather bureau is no longer the sole source of information. You just have to be selective in the choice of data and analysis so that your awareness would be on point. Being aware is important; relying on fake news is not. Weather forecasting, like journalism as we knew it, is among those affected by the rapid changes in technology. We need to adjust to the changed environment.

I am glad that the sun has shone even if I am still to complete the cleaning of our yard of the clutter left behind by the pruning of our coconut tree. Good weather is always better than having cloudy skies, heavy rain and strong winds. It settles the mind beset by problems brought about by daily living. Especially one that went through the problems brought about by a previous devastating typhoon.