(In the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, 8 November 2013.)
Just got this from a friend whose wife was part of the story.
HOW A FAMILY CELEBRATING THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF THE FAMILY PATRIARCH SURVIVED IN TANAUAN, LEYTE.
The old man's children were all around, including those who came from abroad. There must have been 20 of them, including little children. The house was just 100 meters away from the shoreline. Amid the merry-making, Yolanda struck with such fury that it blew away the 2nd floor of the house. When they all went up to check, the waters gushed into their first floor. One of them had the presence of mind to take command and to gather everyone, forming a circle with the children and the elderly at the middle. Fully exposed to the wind and rain and the surge, they embraced and held each other strongly for two hours, literally riding out the typhoon. When the typhoon passed, everyone was ok, they went down and was lucky enough to still have their refrigerator with some food intact. But they felt terrible when they saw their neighborhood littered with dead bodies.
--Post on Facebook by Morrie C. Lorena
