WARNING: DUE TO LARGE TREMORS AND CONTINUOUS GROUND-SHAKING, THIS BLOG ENTRY IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. AS OF THIS WRITING, THE AUTHOR IS WAITING FOR THE AFTERSHOCKS TO DIE DOWN BEFORE SHE CAN PROVIDE A FULL-BLOWN ACCOUNT OF HER EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE. PLEASE PRAY FOR HER SANITY... AND SAFETY, OF COURSE. :p
Not again. You think it would take years before another quake visits us. But then again, the comfort of men is the least of nature's concerns.
Three strong earthquakes have passed between February of 2012 and November 2013. It's not so much on the fact that a number of big natural catastrophes have occurred in a short span of time that I feel alarmed. The timing was just uncanny.
When it all began
Although it was a national holiday in honor of the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, Eid Ul-Adha, yesterday was a day as ordinary as any other. I woke up just as the sun rose in the east. I ate breakfast with my family like usual. I played with our resident pets - cats, dogs, chickens and fishes (but mostly with the cats because they're fluffy, responsive and handy). My younger brother was preparing to go to his office for overtime work. My dad was in the second floor bathroom. My mother, my older brother and I, on one hand, were conversing about some mundane issue.
And then it happened.
And then it happened.
At first it sounded as if some aircraft was about to graze our house. Tinkling sounds suddenly assaulted our senses. The ground shook, first in a gradual manner before it began to crescendo with a horrible shaking, rocking the entire house back and forth. It took seconds to get out of the house.
Even as we reached the ground, the dreadful shaking continued. Everything was like a bouncing jelly. My younger brother was wearing nothing except a towel when he ran to join us on the street. Our next door neighbors to the right, a public official and her son, also followed suit. My dad was the only one left in the house. He came out of the balcony only to watch the Jack Fruit tree, a tree he planted himself and which is now taller than our house, jerk and sway. My mom called out to him, asking him to come down. He was unresponsive. So I shouted that he get out of the house too. Ah well, our shouts fell on deaf ears.
The good thing was, after a minute or two of intense shaking, everyone - including our pets and the trees around us - was all right. The earthquake registered a 7.2 magnitude on the Richter scale. That big. Even bigger than the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the Visayas region February of last year. Sporadic aftershocks ensued one after another. Even as I write this, not only are aftershocks still plaguing Region VII, but the "renowned" PHIVOLCS has already recorded more than a 1,000 aftershocks!
How is my mental constitution?
There hardly a trace of panic - at least on my end. No sweaty palms, trembling knees or heart-pounding for me. Ironic. It wasn't a show of bravery but... I don't know. Earthquakes are not as scary to me as an evil person with a serious intent to kill you. Have I gotten used to earthquakes? I may have or maybe I'm just not one to panic in the face of calamities when there are people all around.
However, I am not as nonchalant or as devil-may-care as others think. When there's a quake, I do my best to evacuate and preserve my life. That's the least I could do. There's no point in putting up a brave face only to get smashed by a pile of rubble. The heck I care if people think I am cowardly just because I cannot bear a few shakes. We can never be too careful.
However, I am not as nonchalant or as devil-may-care as others think. When there's a quake, I do my best to evacuate and preserve my life. That's the least I could do. There's no point in putting up a brave face only to get smashed by a pile of rubble. The heck I care if people think I am cowardly just because I cannot bear a few shakes. We can never be too careful.
I'm guessing there'd be around 200 or so deaths. As of this counting, there are already a hundred. Majority of the deaths were caused by debris falling on or trapping people. Others were caught in landslides or eaten up by sinkholes. The Visayas area is a total wreck. Here in Cebu, people are having panic attacks. It's as if the ground we're walking on has suddenly turned to jelly.
I guess I can only tell you this much. Please help pray for Cebu and Bohol (the provinces most affected by the quake). Perhaps months from now, the quakes will move elsewhere.
I guess I can only tell you this much. Please help pray for Cebu and Bohol (the provinces most affected by the quake). Perhaps months from now, the quakes will move elsewhere.
