TSUNAMI ALERT SHAKES MATI'S SILENCE

               

                Matinians were trembled. The people were screaming and running like crazy. I had ran with the crowd still uncertain of what's going to happen next. Now I'm an evacuee. Last thing I can remember  is..                  

                I was surfing the net in one of the internet shops in our town when suddenly; dreading shouts filled the outside air, the door slammed open, a father came to get his son. “The seawater’s risen surprisingly! Go home, RIGHT NOW!!” .

                My sister grabbed my hands and led me to the entrance. But the people were already terrified that they filled the door altogether within a second and caused it to be blocked. I already forgot about all my things in my compartment in the internet shop. I was already horrified that I didn’t even mind the people, who were already clogging the passage way, I just wanted to get out.

                The funny part was, my sister grabbed my hand as I tried to get out and shouted, “Te, nakai nabilin 6 sa table! Kuhaon naq, Sayang! (Te, there’s P6.00 in your table, I’ll get it!). She sounded so stupid to still save the six-peso coin while our lives are already imperiled. (*Haha!)

                As we got out of the internet shop, I knew it right then and there- the end of the world is near. I was shocked. The people are running towards uncertain directions screaming for help, trying to spare their lives.  The seawater had gone beyond the seawalls. The water has already started to appear on the land, and the wind was blowing turbulently. The nature has gone mad. El Nino, the other day, a high magnitude earthquake, and now? – Well, let’s simply say, just a signal number two Tsunami alert.

                Who wouldn’t get really scared on that scenery? I was already panic stricken. I badly wanted to go home. Pedicabs and motorcycles would just run pass thru us. I was running like a crazy cat with nowhere to go with my younger sister. Funny part again-As I was running, coins dropped from my bag every now and then because I forgot to close my bag. My sister was still shouting about the coins falling from my bag. She was like, “Te! Nangatagak ang imung coins! Hulat sa! (Te! Your coins are falling! Wait!). without second thoughts, I grabbed her hand and shouted at her to forget about the coins. We are already running for our lives!

                We ran with the anxious and scared crowd with no clear directions at all. With our adrenaline rushing, we didn’t notice we had already run a distance of more or less, 500 meters within 30 seconds! Fortunately, we were able to persuade a pedicab driver to drive us home. Admittedly, I felt a twinge of guilt when he told us he was also in a hurry because his 7 years old son was left alone at home. While we were driving home, we could pass thru people, mostly families who carried really big baggages heading for evacuation centers. Wow. My first time to witness a fierce calamity in my quiet little town.

                 I was praying and calling God for divine interventions. I still have so many plans for my life. I was like losing my saliva and my heart was pounding like crazy. I felt like I was losing oxygen again. My knees are shaking like it had an earthquake under it with a magnitude of 8.8 and my heart seemed to jump out of my shirt. I was hardly catching my breath. I was really scared. This was for real now.

                When we got home, everything was already prepared. Our pertinent papers, some foods and clothes- everything. Mom was still wearing her pajamas and her face went really pale. Poor mom. She was all nervous. I couldn’t think of a right thing to do. I was really panic-stricken.

                The police patrol checked our shorelines after some hours and announced that we are already safe. It’s gonna be okay. But my heart wouldn’t just stop pounding like crazy. So here we are now, evacuees. Wow. So this is how it feels like. And I should tell you, it’s not a good feeling after all! I’m still scared, still uncertain of how tomorrow may come.

                 My town, Mati, has never been hit by the fierce of nature really hard. Thus, this made the people here to not really care about the Tsunami alerts, though they finally cared when the level alert was raised to signal number 2. God. Help us.

                Right now, I just wanna go home. Lesson learned about I and my sissy’s experience? –ALWAYS CLOSE YOUR BAG. Haha. I’m kidding right, well, here goes, Stay calm, Observe, Do actions.