Ruby’s last landfall

BATANGAS, Philippines – It was early Monday, December 8, when Ismael de Castro found out then-Typhoon Ruby would cross over the province of Batangas. He found a map and traced the typhoon’s path, then decided it was time to evacuate.

40-year-old Ismael is a lineman at the Batangas Electric Cooperative and has lived in Batangas all his life. He has never found the need to evacuate before a storm. He still has neighbors who still refuse to leave – “They’ll go when it gets dangerous” – but Ismael had no hesitations ferrying his family to the Laiya Aplaya National High School on his own tricycle in the early afternoon.

He had seen what Yolanda (Haiyan) did to the Visayas in 2013, and he was here when Typhoon Glenda (Rammasun) ripped through homes and trees earlier this year. He will not bargain with the lives of his children.

It took three trips. It was difficult to explain to Vernon Lloyd, 12; Yvonne Faith, 10; Aser Dave, 7; and Ken Hansen, 3, exactly what was happening. He came with his 89-year-old mother and his wife Yolanda.

Laiya Aplaya, the resort-lined coast of the municipality of San Juan, is the site of now Tropical Storm Ruby’s 4th landfall. State weather bureau PAGASA placed the time at 5:45 in the afternoon, but in Laiya, there was little change in the day’s weather – light, continuous rains and low winds.

All but a few caretakers evacuated the brightly-painted cottages along the shore, and many found their way to either school or Langco church, where 50 families have already evacuated. One local councilor used his jeep to transport residents.

There are an estimated 300 people at the high school. Around 10 families stay in each large classroom. They are equipped with flashlights and the occasional solar lantern. The space is generous, the center of the room empty, and there is enough room for each family to spread out.

At around 6 pm, the village lost power. Now Ismael stands outside the classroom, staring at the dark parking lot, while rainwater drips from the roof.

He asks, “This is it?”

He looks around.

“Typhoon Glenda was stronger than this.”

He shrugs, then laughs. It is a good thing, he says. – Rappler.com