‘Christmas won’t happen in Siargao’

MANILA, Philippines — A drenched Mike Mendieta was intently looking through a window of his neighbor’s house, his heart almost crushing and cold as if the rainfall brought by the super typhoon was not enough to make his entire body chill. Right before his eyes, the house he built with hard work and sweat is crumbling, blown by the violent winds of Typhoon Odette.

With the loud cry of his wife in the background, Mike could not nearly contain the sharp pain he was feeling in his heart as the storm peeled parts of his house piece by piece until it collapsed. Now. his house is nothing but a pile of rubble.

And this is how Mike and many others in the popular tourist destination Siargao Island would be spending their Christmas this year – homeless.

“Mukhang walang Paskong mangyayari. Mukhang walang Paskong mangyayari dito. Para sa aming mahirap at walang-wala, malamig ang Pasko namin,” Mike, a resident of Pilar town who works as a tour organizer, told INQUIRER.net.

(Looks like no Christmas will happen here. For people like us who are poor and have nothing, Christmas would be cold.)

For Mike, Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) will forever be stamped in his mind—after all this was the strongest storm he has ever experienced in his lifetime.

Howling winds, toppled houses

It was at 1:30 p.m. December 16 when Typhoon Odette made its first landfall in Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte province. It packed maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour near (kph) the center and gusts of up to 240 kph.

Despite their preparations, Mike admitted they did not expect the storm would be that strong.  Weather experts say Odette is the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year.

“Akala mo wala ng bukas sa sobrang lakas. Dinig mo ‘yung sipol ng hangin,” Mike said.

(It felt like there was no tomorrow because of how strong the storm was. You can hear the wind howling.)

Amid the turbulent winds, Mike and his wife were forced to take shelter in the adjacent home of their neighbor. Since then, things went by quickly; his house, hastily demolished by Odette.

“Kita namin kung paano bumagsak. Talagang halos madurog ‘yung puso ko. ‘Yung asawa ko iyak ng iyak. Ako—hindi ko malarawan ‘yung naramdaman ko—halos tumulo na rin ‘yung luha ko nung nakita ko ‘yung bahay na bumagsak na,” Mike said.

(We saw how our house collapsed. My heart is almost crushed. My wife was crying. I cannot describe how I felt, but my tears nearly fell when I saw my house breaking down.)

It was, however, just the beginning of what would be the longest afternoon in Mike’s life. Just when he thought they are already safe, the strong winds blew off their neighbor’s roof.

Mike’s family and their neighbor had to run to safety even while Odette continued lashing the island. They dashed towards an unfinished house nearby. There, Mike, his wife, and their neighbor sought refuge until the typhoon passed.

The damage left by Typhoon Odette was not visible until the day after, said Mike. In Mike’s case, he decided to use materials left from his collapsed house to create a makeshift structure where his family could temporarily stay.

“Kakaunti na lang ‘yung bahay na maayos na nakatayo at hindi nasira. Mabibilang mo na lang. Sira talaga,” Mike said.

(There are only a few houses left standing and not damaged. You can count them. Everything was destroyed.)

Power, food, communications out

Just to get a decent signal and communicate with people outside Siargao Island, Mike has to travel an hour from Pilar town to Del Carmen.

The town of General Luna, where most tourists usually stay, does not have a signal either, said Mike. In Dapa town, there is a signal for texting and calling, but internet connectivity is not possible, he added.

“Hirap din ang mga tao dito. Talagang lugmok dahil ‘yung mga bahay nila sira. ‘Yung pinag-evacuate-an din nung iba, sira din,” Mike said.

(The people are having a hard time here. Everyone is down because their homes were destroyed. Even the place where they evacuated was also destroyed.)

There is also no electricity on the entire island, except in several establishments with generators offering free services to residents.

“Kandila ang gamit namin sa gabi. Sa pag-charge naman ng cellphone, may isang kumpanya na may generator na nagpapa-libre charge,” Mike said.

(We use candles at night. To charge our cellphones, there’s a company here with a generator who offers free services.)

Food supply is also a problem, said Mike, as residents line up for relief goods. He said they received rice and noodles from their barangay following the storm.

Mike said they are expecting relief goods to arrive Friday, December 24.

“Kailangan ng pagkain, gamot, tent. ‘Yun talaga ang pinaka-importante, ‘yung pagkain,” Mike said.

(We need food, medicine, and tents. That’s the most important right now—food.)

Cold, dark Christmas

At this time of the year, Siargao is usually packed with tourists who want to spend the holidays away from the city.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, tourist count dramatically dropped since last year, affecting businesses and residents like Mike who rely on tourism for their income.

It was only recently that tourist arrivals began picking up again, but with Typhoon Odette ravaging the island, Mike is worried about his family.

“Hindi ko alam kung saan na naman kami nito magsisimula. Bahala na siguro ang Diyos kung anong kagustuhan Niya,” Mike said.

(I do not know where we’re going to start. I guess, we just leave it to the plan of the Lord.)

“Walang income ngayon dito kasi walang kuryente, pati ‘yung mga building ng mga business nasira,” he added.

(We have no income right now because there is no electricity, even business establishments are destroyed.)

Christmas will be cold in Siargao, Mike said.

KGA