HEAVY TYPHOON DEVASTATION DESPITE EARLY WARNING...

Despite early warning by PAG-ASA, Typhoon Pablo has recorded considerable damages to life, properties and government infrustructure. Compostela valley and Davao Oriental were the badly damaged areas with recorded higher casualties. But why this areas? When in fact long before, these areas were seldom visited by typhoon. I, for one, had spent my few years of my childhood in Davao Oriental specificallty in the Town of Banaybanay. Although we experienced flooding sometimes and earthquake most of the time, never that I experienced strong winds or typhoons. I had just experienced typhoon when our family had transferred to Cabucgayan, Biliran which was previouslty under the province of Leyte. The worst effect of typhoon I ever experienced was during the 80's when the second floor of our house was blown by Typhoon Undang. Our community suffered heavy damaged during that time.

(A fallen tree at Mati City, Davao Oriental; Photo courtesy of typhoonwatchphilippines.blogspot.com) How does this happened. A big changed on the usual track of the typhoon can be vividly observed for the recent years. We, the residents of Region 8 or the Eastern Visayas Region are very much thankful for this development since most of the typhoons visiting the country in the current year has never had a direct hit to our area. Weather forcasters explained it to high pressures usually present in our area. But do I have to celebrate for this development? When most of my relatives are also living in the heavily devastated Davao Oriental province?