Stay or Evacuate?

"Always expect the unexpected," so they say.

The beginning of the year 2020 welcomed us with many unpredictables which we haven't witnessed for many years, or maybe, in our entire life.

Recently President Rodrigo Duterte sent a rescue ship to evacuate overseas Filipinos in high-risk areas amidst tension in the Middle East. (Read more here.)

Many disasters happened that claimed lives, injured people, killed and harmed animals, destroyed trees, properties and other non-living things. Whether they are natural or man-made or partly natural and partly man-made, we do not know. All we know is that the world is in pain. When our smallest finger is hurt, the whole body feels it.

I have my own struggles and worries but heavens hear how grateful I am for my life, for the roof over my head, for every single day that I am alive. I am not complaining about the present load of challenges. Who will complain when you watch on your mobile phone or laptop those unfortunate people running for their lives, leaving all that they have painstakingly established for many years, releasing and letting go all, forgetting all except their lives and how to survive?

When Taal Volcano erupted on 12 January 2020, many residents of Batangas Province, Philippines, were told to evacuate and some areas were locked down when the alert level was put on level 4 (of 5). History shows us that in 1754 the eruption period was long, 200+ days.  That time many people were killed, and some areas sank.

Thanks God this time nobody was killed by the eruption. Batangas provincial government led by Gov. Hermilando I. Mandanas said that they have prepared for it. We learned from the strategies of those who managed to handle the calamities that hit them.

As retired Lt Gen Russel Honore said,

Before Katrina, it was a longstanding tradition in our country for political officials to wait until the last minute to warn, to take action, to evacuate. No more. With Irene, you had mass evacuations -- mandatory ones -- issued days ahead of time. That was the right thing to do.

Yes, no one was directly killed by the eruption, but I cried each time I saw the heart-breaking videos. Families got separated as they were brought to different evacuation centers, mostly covered courts of schools and cities. They fell in long lines to get their share of relief goods. The children were in trauma and they missed their schools. Horses, dogs, and other animals got injured, many died, and some were rescued.

What touched my heart was when the horses' masters risked their lives to rescue them and felt devastated when they learned that some died already. See those young men who cared to return and save them as they said "they served us". (But look at many people who forget their family members in distress, many children or younger siblings of those who sacrificed their lives for them to have a bright future?)

Some people tried to come back to locked down places to get their important documents. One woman interviewed said that some papers required for overseas work were left but the authorities did not allow them to go to their places. Others managed to stay for some time when they were given window hours to visit places not covered by the high-risk radius.

There were many ghost towns after that eruption. The favorite tourist destination turned grey. It was like what I saw in "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter".  My heart was bleeding dry. It is my beloved province. My nights were long at that time that the alert level was 4, calling and chatting with my mother and children from time to time. I just got somehow at peace when the alert level was announced to be at level 3. Many evacuees returned to their home places.

I do not remember how many times I cried when I saw video clips of thousands of Filipinos in and out of the Philippines gathering themselves to help the evacuees in whatever way they could. My daughter sent a photo showing herself in her car with some boxes of items for donation. I felt very proud of her! There were two (2) young people who died while on their way to bring relief goods. They are all heroes and I pray for God to bless their souls.

From then until now, the volcano has been monitored closely because it is unpredictable and when it erupted in the past, it was very violent.

In Australia, many people also evacuated due to wildfire which started in July 2019 and is considered to be the worst one the world has seen. Some people including firefighters lost their lives. Many animals got injured and died.

In Wuhan, China, countless people were trapped as the area was locked due to the 2019 novel coronavirus. They wanted to go out but they were not allowed. Those who managed to go out but were found out by authorities to be potential hosts/carriers due to screening procedures were instructed to be quarantined.

The Business Insider writes that "scientists say at least 500,000 people may become infected with the coronavirus in Wuhan before it peaks in the coming weeks."

As I sit down and ponder on what is happening across the globe, I am thinking --

What if something unexpected happens and I am asked to stay or evacuate, what will I do? Am I prepared for the next thing, whatever it is? What about many others who are also away from their families? 

The message is clear. Nothing else matters but life itself, worse comes to worst.

Stay or evacuate? We run for life away from the place where it is threatened. We run for life with the freedom to move. We run as fast as we can. There are those who are asked to stay, to be quarantined, but they feel like in prison.  When worse gets worst, we forget all things, all those that we traded for our time and talents for many years. After the nightmarish ordeal, what else remains but the will to survive, and hope to start a new life with those whom we love dearly?

"I don't know what will happen to us, because even if the volcano gets calm, and we return home, we have nothing to return to. Our house collapsed, partly eaten by the earth. Our plants and trees were damaged. Our animals were killed. I cannot sleep with peace of mind but I have faith in God," a crying woman tells the world about her story when Taal Volcano furiously erupted.

For most overseas workers who experience life's worst hit, listening to their stories will build up a huge motivation to figure out how to accept things as they are, looking at the past only to squeeze the lessons learned, and to find solutions to problems that challenge their faith in God and themselves.

Their stories can passionately move any person to be as light as his soul -- by releasing anything and everything that makes it heavy to ascend. In a similar way, it is about time not to spend on unnecessary things and be a minimalist. It helps to always have an exit/evacuation plan and prepare the grab-to-go bag.

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Photo credits:  Pixabay