Observations of Super-Typhoon Hayian

The Philipine islands experience more than their share of tragedies at the hand of Mother Nature.  As I have watched the events of Typhoon Haiyan unfold this past week, I have made a few observations of human nature that are common in everyday life, but that manifest in the extreme during times of crisis.

We've all watched the news stories of the wide spread destruction of entire communities and the deplorable conditions that the Philipinos have been thrown into.  Almost no shelter, no fresh water, belongings swept away by wind and flood, loved ones pulled from clinging grasps to perish or go missing, no communications, looters ransacking the few remaining stores & warehouses and dead bodies bloating in the sun.

My observations:

1. The majority of the people just huddle en masse, waiting for help to come, overwhelmed by the enormity of the destruction of all they cherish and have worked for.  But waiting for help from whom?  The government? The military? World humanitarian organizations?

2. As the news agencies are highlighting the plight of these victims, I see a few people in the background working silently: carrying away the dead, searching for survivors and usable goods, building temporary shelters.  But the workers are few compared to the swarms of the helpless.

3. As the military and relief agencies arrive to help, I see angry people shaking their fists at their would-be rescuers, demanding immediate aid rather than displaying gratitude that help is coming.

4. Not seen, and only barely mentioned in the news stories, are the doctors & nurses providing what care and medicine they can with limited supplies, no electricity, and no running water.

5. Even if the people had had emergency supplies, most would have either been swept away by wind or water, buried amid the rubble, destroyed or ruined, or taken away by looters.

6. I also see fences, armed guards (some guarding the stores that have already been looted), people being herded and shepherded without much choice (even if for their own good).

7. As already mentioned, the Philipines are hit with several typhoons each year, and are along a very active fault line, so they also experience numerous earthquakes.  They've learned to endure.  So, when officials drove through towns, calling out on bullhorns for people to evacuate two days before Typhoon Haiyan made landfall, many long time residents probably felt like "this is just going to be another storm like all the rest.  We'll just hunker down and pick up the pieces after it passes, just like we always have.  Life will go on like usual."  So, relying on their resilience and determination to be tough, it's not surprising that so few left.

8. On the other hand, seeing as many of those residents are poor, having no form of transportation aside from bicycles and motorcycles, evacuation may not have been a very feasible option for most.

9. I was so grateful to hear that all the LDS missionaries had been accounted for and were safe. Their Mission President had provided them each with a 72-hour kit and relocated them to safer areas. I cannot be sure, but I didn't hear any general call from Church leaders for members to flee for safety.  It may have occurred as a quiet suggestion on Sunday to "be wise and do what you feel is best for your family."  Are we not all "agents unto ourselves" for most of our decisions in times of crisis?  Now, some 200 LDS chapels in the area are serving as "places of refuge" for survivors.

Lessons for me, in my life, here in Mapleton:

• I can't expect the government, the military, the Church or anyone else to come to my aid in the event of a disaster. ...at least not immediately, and probably not with enough supplies to go around.

• For the few people who see a need and jump in to find solutions to problems, there will be many more (hordes) that will sit as helpless victims waiting for someone else to provide for them.

• No matter how well I prepare for my family's needs, I will find myself surrounded by many who are unprepared, either temporally or mentally, or both.

• I can't prepare for everything. Life is too unpredictable.  Mother Nature is too powerful. There will always be something that I couldn't foresee.  All I can do is consider the most probable scenarios and prepare accordingly, step by step, here a little and there a little.

• Even with excellent preparations, all could be lost.  Eathquakes bury and smash.  Fires burn.  Floods ruin and carry away.  Thieves steal.  I need to find ways to safeguard the emergency supplies so they aren't destroyed, buried under rubble, looted or otherwise ruined.

• In every situation, there will be a few good people doing whatever they can to put their talents and limited resources to use in helping others.

• I don't want to be herded like sheep.  I want to decide whether I accept help and under what  conditions.  I do not want to give up my freedom for a loaf of bread and a bottle of water.

• I need to be diligent in listening to the voice of warning, be that a living prophet, the whisperings of the Holy Ghost or the counsel of a local priesthood leader.  Satan laughs at our suffering when we adopt the attitude of "all is well in Zion" and fail to take heed in time.

• Should a call or prompting come to take my family and leave on short notice, will I be willing and in a position to do so, thus avoiding the full impact of a disaster?  Jerusalem wasn't under siege when Lehi took his family into the wilderness.  Noah built his ark in a desert during a drought over a hundred years before the rains came.  How often did the Lord instruct the Nephites in bondage to flee in the night before the Lamanites could stop them?  The early LDS Saints's tragedy at Haun's Mill would have been averted had the Saints given heed to the Prophet Joseph's warning to gather together with the main body of Saints for safety rather than stay at the homestead of Bro. Haun.  Will I go, or will I regret, saying "things aren't so bad!  I'll be alright."

• What preparations do I need to make to be able to leave on a moments notice, whether for just 72 hours or for an extended period of time?  Are my cars in good working order and filled with gas?  Do I have an evacuation and communication plan for my family so everyone knows what to do, where to meet, who to contact if we're separated?  Do I have have financial reserves for fuel, a hotel, or other unexpected needs?  Are my emergency supplies organized and updated?

• The Lord and his chosen leaders of our Church don't always warn us away from tragedy and crisis. The righteous often suffer right along with the wicked and unbelievers, whether it be in daily hardships (unemployment, illness, untimely loss of loved ones) or local disasters.  We are called on to endure with faith and reach out to others, lifting their spirits and lessening their burdens.

I continue to pray for relief for those who suffer.  I continue to contribute my Fast Offerings.  I will make a renewed effort to help the Humanitarian Fund as I am always filled with peace to know that the Church is among the first to have relief supplies on the ground following any disaster.  I will also continue to do the best I can wherever I am called to serve until I am called to do otherwise.