Typhoon “Nona” and the invitation to be Providence

One day after the end of COP21 (Conference of Parties) held in Paris, whose main objective was to prevent the increase in average global temperature by the end of the century, the Typhoon “Nona” (international name: “Melor”) made landfall in our Island Samar, causing the evacuation of more than 730,000 people. Exactly after the representatives of 195 countries discussed to reduce 1.5 or 2.0 degrees Celsius of the global temperature, our Filipino people suffer the real consequences of it with the 14th typhoon that affected the Philippines this year.

Fortunately, Typhoon Melor was weak compared with some others. However, after 5 hours of strong winds and heavy rain, here in Samar, many people forcedly left their houses to safety places. Some of them came to our Formation House in Calbayog to seek shelter and security.

If these moments of natural and manmade disasters can help us in any way, it is to exercise our solidarity with the poor people and be a signal of Providence to them. In this case, we thank God for this opportunity.

But the same events arise in us some reflections: Until when will those who have political power (and all of us) wait to take care of our Mother Earth? Until when will our poor people continue to suffer?

While we actively wait for the answers, we cannot call phenomena like Yolanda, Ruby and Nona as merely “natural” disasters. They are brought about by our negligence in caring for life.

Images: Sem. Kim Robert John Capute Almacen,

and, BWORLDONLINE: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=typhoon-nona-cuts-power-on-eve-of-christmas-vigil&id=120277