The first

The country just went through its first major typhoon of the year. Glenda is indeed the first to make landfall, and it reminded the whole country of a reality that the typhoon season is upon us. Glenda made a beeline for the Bicol region, which had been fortunate for the past eight years. The last strong howler to hit the region was "Reming" in 2006. Since then, typhoons would either sway up towards the Cagayan/Batanes region, or down towards the Visayas and Mindanao. Yolanda is still fresh in our minds.

Upon making landfall, Bicolanos were reminded of that all too familiar scenario. If there is one region that is typhoon-tested, Bicol is it. So preparations were well underway as soon as it became certain Glenda would hit them. Evacuations were done, emergency services put into action. They know the drill. Still, a typhoon is a typhoon, and there is very little one can do but weather it out. Glenda threw several provinces into darkness, knocking down power lines, trees and communication lines. Glenda was more wind than rain, and I really don't know what I would prefer more. Ondoy was all rain and look what that did!

After hitting Bicol, Glenda made its way northwest, targeting Metro Manila. But because of the memory of Yolanda still fresh on everybody's minds, people were more prepared. The bad thing is that Glenda gathered strength as it made its way to Metro Manila. Most typhoons weaken upon hitting land, but Glenda just wanted to be different. By the time it hit the Metro, its winds were near the 200 kilometer per hour range. So much of the same happened as in the Bicol region. The Metro was also thrown into darkness, with about 90% without power as per estimates. Businesses and government offices were shut down. The whole mega city was at a standstill. The MRT and LRT lines, dependent on electricity to run, were stopped in their tracks. Classes have been suspended since Tuesday, a good call if I may say.

One good thing about Glenda is that it moved fast. So the places it directly hit were only subject to her fury for a couple of hours. Unlike Yolanda which practically took its time, resulting in widespread death and destruction. But in Glenda's wake lay more than 20 bodies, most were crushed by falling trees, walls and other items. The winds were strong enough to drag two aircraft at NAIA! Imagine what those winds would do to a motorcycle and a person trying to walk through that wind, which some actually tried to do.

Glenda has left, and the clean-up has begun. We seem to have learned from Yolanda, but there are still many things that have to be addressed. As of this writing, there are still many without power. Utility services must be restored as soon as possible, because aside from running the country, they also save lives. And every typhoon must be treated with respect, and met with more than adequate preparation. We were fortunate to have weathered Glenda with minimal loss of life, but even one life lost is one too many.

And remember, this is just the first of many to come this year.     [email protected]