EDITORIAL - Learning from Odette

Super typhoon Odette caught us by surprise. It was not her strength that was unexpected, this country essentially being the doormat for howlers from the Pacific Ocean we are used to wind and rain lashing at our homes, and sometimes even toppling them down.

It was how long it took Cebu City and Cebu Province to recover from the damage that was more sobering.

Days after Odette many parts of Cebu City and Cebu Province still had no water and power, something that has not happened on such a large scale since typhoon Ruping in November 1990.

It was certainly a rude awakening for both city and province. For so long both local government units have become so used to being the ones providing help or at least become the staging area for aid to nearby provinces exactly for calamities like typhoon Odette. But after typhoon Odette it suddenly found itself the victim.

By now it is hoped more people are now with food, running water, power, and the means to connect with friends and loved ones.

Let’s hope our local and national officials, city planners, barangay officials, and of course we also, learn from the lessons of Odette.

For our local and national officials, it’s that even the richest, most powerful, and influential cities or provinces can be laid low by a force of nature.

For the city planners, as suggested by one of our columnists, it is to plan for and build a more disaster-proof city. Not just one that looks glitzy and glamorous, but one that can take a beating and still keep ticking, or at least quickly get back on its feet.

We can even pitch them an idea and hint on providing ready-to-tap power and water sources that can step in anytime they are needed.

For our barangay officials it’s not to become overly dependent on the city government when it comes to anything.

For ourselves it’s that we should never take for granted a night with power, a bath, a cold drink, or a phone call from a loved one. And that if push comes to shove we can survive anything with enough faith in God and ourselves.

Odette was one of the worst storms to hit us, but it won’t be the last.

While the ordeals we went through to survive the aftermath of Odette will make for great stories to tell our children and grandchildren, it is something that we don’t want them to experience for themselves.