EDITORIAL —  No time to give up hope

Cebu woke up to devastation yesterday after Typhoon Tino carved a destructive path through the Visayas.

What people saw was reminiscent of what happened after Typhoon Odette just four scant years ago; debris on the streets, people lining up for food, water, fuel, and other essentials. Lives and livelihoods were brought to a standstill as people dropped everything to make sure they and their families hasd enough to eat or drink.

Many areas saw heavy flooding, with streets turned into rivers still as of this writing. Even posh subdivisions weren’t spared devastation. Many of these were flooded, with vehicles washed away and piled up to become barricades blocking main streets after the floodwaters or storm surge subsided.

As of press time most of the affected areas still had no utilities. Many people may have to spend tonight or even more without water, power, or internet connectivity.

 The misery is double for those in northern Cebu whose homes haven’t yet been repaired or those who are still in evacuation centers following the recent quakes. Or those who have rebuilt homes brought down by the tremors, only to have them torn apart by Tino’s heavy rains and high winds.

Of course, many will despair and question why misfortune upon misfortune is being piled upon them. Or why God or Mother Nature won’t give them a break.

But this is no time to give up hope. Sure, it’s always okay to vent or even cry for a bit; it’s part of human nature to despair, but only for a while. It’s also part of human nature to pick yourself up afterwards and square your shoulders for the task ahead.

Cebu has repeatedly been laid low by natural disasters, usually super typhoons. People remember storms like Nitang, Ruping, Yolanda, and Odette. Why do people remember these storms? Aside from the fact that they were devastating and caused misery and even death, people remember these storms because they survived them. Cebu has always survived, always gotten back on its feet.

Take heart. This is just another hurdle Cebu can and will overcome.