The horrific devastation caused by Typhoon Tino in the Philippines was captured by a solo traveller.
Marek Pukas, a solo traveller and content creator, was visiting El Nido, Philippines, got caught in the typhoon and had to wait it out like everyone else.
Typhoon Kalmaegi, called Typhoon Tino locally, barrelled into the central Philippines. Thousands of people were evacuated, while hundreds of them were trapped as flash floods buried cars and quickly rose around homes or wiped them out.
Talking about the situation, Marek said: “What breaks my heart is not just the damage that the Typhoon has done here, it’s how normal all of this is for the people here.”
“Storms, floods, typhoons, over and over again, and still Filipinos smile. They help each other, they rebuild, they find the light in the darkest moments of their life. “I literally have seen people lose everything, and they still offered food to a stranger. That kind of strength humbles you.”
He compared the resilience of Filipinos with other nationalities and called on the public to reflect.
“In the Philippines, storms destroy homes, floods take lives, and yet people wake up the next day with a smile. They help their neighbors, they clean up the streets, they rebuild from nothing. Again and again,” Marek wrote.
“Meanwhile, so many of us in the West complain about things that don’t even matter. About traffic. About slow Wi-Fi. About being ‘bored.’ Maybe we need to stop for a second and realize how privileged we actually are. Because here, people lose everything – and still find reasons to be grateful,” he added.
The foreigner content creator also emphasized the threats posed by climate change.
“Climate change is not a distant threat. It’s here. It’s real. And it’s the people who contribute the least who pay the highest price,” he added.
In a separate post, Marek said the typhoon is a “powerful wake-up call.”
“Sometimes we forget how fragile life really is until nature reminds us. Seeing the damage left behind by Typhoon Tino was a powerful wake-up call. So many families here in the Philippines have lost their homes and everything they owned – yet they still find the strength to smile, rebuild, and move forward,” he said.
Marek sympathized with everyone affected by Tino and offered prayers.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the storm, and to all those facing the next one that’s on its way. Stay strong, stay safe, and know that you’re not alone,” he concluded.
Marek’s first video showing the typhoon aftermath in El Nido has so far racked up 685,000 views, 34,800 reactions, 1,300 comments and 3,400 shares. The second video garnered 116,000 views, 2,700 reactions, 71 comments and 90 share.
—Caters News Agency via Reuters Connect; with Rosette Adel
