TROPICAL STORM; Vesing is the code name and it's hampering us now...

@mobhomeir, it is the second typhoon that hit the country so it will start with letter B. It's Typhoon Bising that hit Bohol and other parts of Visayas recently. Yes, the best thing to do is to be prepared before the typhoon strikes in your area. First, securing the house is much needed. Check the roofs, windows, doors and posts. Then if there are trees around the house, cut any tree or branches that may fall and damage the house. If the house can not be fixed or is along waterways (rivers, big drainages, coastal area), it is best to temporarily moved to a more secure place. Second thing to do is storing supplies for emergency situations - flash light/emergency light, battery-operated radio, medicines, potable water, canned goods and non-perishable food and fully charged cellphone containing emergency hot lines. Third, and most importantly, take time to pray.

Being in a typhoon prone area Bicol, we are somewhat used to that kind of a weather. Although lately we haven't been visited by a really strong typhoon and that is for quite sometime already. I noticed that it usually hits the northern region and not us anymore. But, we usually do is really to be calm all the time despite you could hear the strong winds whipping you. Do not panic even when your roof gets off because there is nothing that you could really do but save yourself from it. My place is located on higher grounds and we are not flooded only strong wind and rain. After typhoon everything is destroyed and trees and bamboos are all stripped off its leaves, next thing to do is clean the surroundings and of course wait for the electricity to be restored back to normal.

I just can't remember the year when we still lived in Bohol and experienced a very strong storm. It was scary. To think that the compound is fronting a bay, that's in Graham Avenue, Tagbilaran City. I saw the trees and posts falling. All we did was stay home and waited for everything to calm down. At night, we used gas lamps to light the home. I have experienced storms in Manila. Classes were always suspended, my dorm mates and I would cook because we have nothing to do, but talk and eat a lot.