Mauie Flores

Last Saturday was as busy as I expected it to be. My boys both had classes, Rap with his MTAP and my husband with his IT training class at MFI. I had planned to do my Christmas shopping errands while Rap's in school. During lunch, I checked my Twitter and Facebook accounts where I found out about the tragedy that happened in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City at the height of Typhoon Washi (Sendong).

Immediately, flashbacks of our town during Ondoy came back. I vividly remember how difficult it was to find sources of food and water. The floods brought by Sendong brought worse damage than Ondoy because it came at almost midnight. Most of the people who died were sleeping when the water rose. The pictures were heartbreaking and I haven't even seen everything yet.

Because of this,I decided to cut my Christmas shopping budget to give me more funds to offer help for the victims of the typhoon. The only gifts I bought according to my pre-assigned budget were the ones for our little nephews and nieces and our godchildren. I know the adults will understand that we cannot splurge on their presents this time. I hope I still can find inexpensive jewelry beads, though, for some of our female relatives.

I've already starting donating via SMS [Text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)] to the Red Cross. I'll also be sharing some of our blessings to my fellow bloggers in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City who will surely have a challenging time this Christmas. I still have to pick out some old clothes from our closets to donate via the LBC Foundation. This is only what we can afford to share but, as long as more people care to share, we can make a huge difference.


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Sometimes, my mind gets too preoccupied to make me forget that I should make sure my feet are in (toes and all) before I close the door. Ouch! This happened to me yesterday and now my smallest toe of my right foot is swollen and painful. I admit that I am careless when it comes to my safety which makes me too accident prone.

Good thing that I didn't close the car door with all my might or else things could have gotten worse. The toe is still black and blue but I can move it which means I did not do much damage. LOL! It does sound weird that I'm talking about myself doing damage to my own body!

By the way, the only medication I applied was Oleia oil and it gave me instant relief. I'm glad that I did not hurt my promise ring finger so I can still blog about it!


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Just this morning, the street where my husband's office building is found was partially closed because one of the buildings conducted a fire drill. Apparently, the local government has been helping the buildings in the business district hold fire drills for their tenants which is good. It's never good to be trapped in a burning building.

Source:http://www.sxc.hu/photo/521402

What I witnessed reminded me that the last fire drill I participated in was way back in college! Since I work at home, I thought of planning a fire drill for our home. So I searched for home fire drill essentials and I'm sharing them here with you.

1. Make an escape plan. Every part of the house should be part of the layout. Better start with the bedrooms.
2. Make 2 escape routes from each room. As with everything, there should always be a Plan B should Plan A go wrong.
3. Agree on a meeting place outside the house. Be sure that it's within a safe distance from your home and that everyone in the family is familiar with that meeting place.
4. Assign roles for everyone to play. Who's going to be in charge with the baby? Who's going to help Lolo and Lola go out of the burning house? Who's going to grab the fire extinguisher?
5. Post your escape plan in a place where everyone can view it. Inform the househelpers and your overnight guests, if any.
6. Have a list of emergency numbers ready. You can also post the list alongside your escape plan. Be sure to have the numbers of the nearest fire stations and emergency medical assistance services.

Hope you also find this handy!

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Last Friday, March 11, 2011, I spent the afternoon until late evening sitting on the couch and watching the news about the earthquake and tsunami that happened in Japan. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw images of homes and other structures being swallowed by the enormous amount of seawater that came inland because of the tsunami. My eyes were also on my computer screen as a chatted with an aunt who is in Japan. Thankfully, although a bit shaken and emotional, she's safe as well as my other aunts who are working over there.

Image source here.

Adding to my state of shock were the news advisories telling the public to get ready for the tsunami that will hit the eastern part of the Philippines. Thank goodness, it did not do much damage to any of the 19 provinces that were supposed to be hit by the waves from the Pacific Ocean. After having experienced Ondoy, who can blame me for being so paranoid? I immediately thought about preparing for the waves of water that was supposed to come.

The American Red Cross advises the general public to prepare these 6 disaster must-haves:

• Water - 1 gal./person/day.
• Food - Non-perishable; should also include pet food if you have pets.
• First-aid kit - Always keep one in your home and another one in your car.
• Clothing and beddings - Complete change of clothing per person. Should also include rain gear and protection from the sun.
• Tools and emergency supplies
• Special items - Essentials for infants or the senior members of the family. These will also include toys or games for kids.

All of these items should last for at least three days. They should also be kept in sturdy, water-proof containers.

Experts also suggest having a disaster plan for the family. Honestly, I still haven't devised one. All this step entails is having 2 meeting places just in case we get separated at the height of a disaster. These 2 places should either be:

1. A safe distance away from home; or,
2. A safe place outside the neighborhood just in case a family member can't get home.

I hope you also find this post helpful. We will never know when a disaster will strike so it's best to be always prepared.


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