Strength in loss: A Yolanda survivor’s tale

Janessa Tek-Ing

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

'I realized that life is so fleeting...I wish I was able to tell my mother how much I love her'

LAST MOMENTS. Days before Super Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban in Leyte, Kathleen Geremias (2nd from right) was smiling with her friends. Photo submitted by Janessa Tek-ing

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – How does one cope with loss? Are words enough to describe such tragedy?

Yolanda (Haiyan) survivor Kathleen Geremias, 17, struggled to find the words to explain what it was like to lose her mother in the super typhoon. Recalling the events of that fateful day in November, her voice expressed the heartbreak and devastation their family and community endured. 

“Our family lived in Tacloban near the sea, and when Yolanda finally made landfall, my sister and I evacuated to a 3-storey house. My brother was in his friend’s house while my parents were left in our house,” Kathleen recalled.

At 5am of November 8, she said the winds became stronger. By 7am, the rain was pouring heavily and the water started to rise.

Kathleen’s mother chose to stay instead of evacuating to look after their father who had been drinking the night before. Kathleen tried convincing her mother to join them but duty prevailed.

“She didn’t want to leave my father in that state. My mother wanted to take care of my father even if it was dangerous for the both of them,” recounted Kathleen.

As soon as he woke up, their father went out to buy coffee in a nearby store and checked on his kids. He wanted to go back to the house but by them it was too risky because of the strong winds and heavy rainfall. Kathleen’s father decided to stay with his 2 girls.

Hard hit

Because of the storm surge, water level kept on rising. Kathleen and the group had to separate because they needed to look for a safer place. 

“Father convinced us to get out of that house. We did but there was nowhere else we could go. It was a dead-end,” Kathleen said.

The only thing that kept them from safety was a wall that they tried to break down. “We tried so hard to get to the other side of the wall. The boys were using all their strength. The girls and the kids were wailing. Until now, I could still hear their pleading voices to save their lives.”

Kathleen was in awe of her father’s strength. “He kept on telling us, ‘We can survive this. We will survive this.’ That time, I was glad to have my father with us,” she says.

Then the water was already neck-deep.

“We had to find a place where we could stay. Everything really happens for a reason because if we didn’t try to get into the next house, the people inside would have been trapped. We got in by breaking the window. When it was my turn to get inside, I slipped and almost drowned. I thought it was the end for me but my father saved me,” Kathleen said.

“We were determined to climb walls and break into houses just so we could survive. We got to a point when we were hopeless and all we could do was cry especially when we realized that the house we were in was the only one left standing.” 

Even the barangay hall that was supposed to protect evacuees was battered and destroyed.

“People in the barangay hall were only able to survive by hanging onto the ceiling. They all looked as if they’ve been through hell and more,” Kathleen said.

Looking for ‘Mama’

REACHING OUT. Kathleen Geremias’ Facebook post after the strong typhoon. English translation of the post: “Good for you, you still have a house. Us here, nothing, not even a light post.”

All the while, Kathleen thought their mother had evacuated to the barangay hall when their father did not go back.

“We counted on that. We all hoped she did just that,” she said. “Some (neighbors) told me Mama was in one of the houses nearby. We all thought she was secure.”

Kathleen later found out she was not.

“I asked my father to look for Mama. When he looked in the house where my mother was supposedly staying, she was not there. He looked everywhere…He was sure he would see my mother again.”

There was no sign that her mother would show up anytime. Although the possibility of not seeing her alive anymore was inevitable, Kathleen tried her best not to entertain such thoughts.  

Three days after Yolanda wreaked havoc in their town, there was still no trace of her mother.

On the 4th day, Kathleen and the rest of the family mustered enough courage to check the lifeless bodies on the streets. And there they found their mother. 

“All of us blamed ourselves for her death. If only I could have convinced her more to come with me. It was hardest for my father who kept on saying that he shouldn’t have left Mama or he should have at least tried to come back. It turned out my mother was waiting for him all along.”

Standing up, moving forward

Kathleen and her family still haven’t gone past the pain of losing their mother. 

“It’s still painful but my father would always tell us to be strong together. We only have each other now,” she said.

“My mother would have wanted us to help our father move on, too. But deep inside, I feel so lifeless. If only I could have my mother back.”

Her closeness with her mother makes it harder for her to accept the truth. But the lessons she learned from her will remain in her heart forever.

“I realized that life is so fleeting; that any moment, everything that’s precious to you and everything you’ve worked hard for can be taken away. I wish I was able to tell my mother how much I love her.”

The only thing that makes Kathleen hopeful of the future is the chance to make her mother proud. Kathleen vowed to finish her studies.

“I might have lost a lot but that won’t stop me from dreaming, from living my life. I don’t blame God for whatever happened because now that I already lost my mother, it’s Him who truly understands.”

It was hard for Kathleen to let go of her mother but she knew it was the best thing to do, hoping that somewhere her mother is in a much happier and safer place. – Rappler.com 

Janessa Tek-ing, or Nessa to her friends, is a 20-year old girl who loves writing. She is an advocate of peace, education, and life in general. Nessa finds joy in reading a good book and hopes to become a published author someday. Nessa believes in silver linings and happy endings. You can visit her blog here.

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!