Supermommy Ale's Bagyo Tips

Back in 2009, I, myself, was stranded in the office when Ondoy struck Metro Manila. I saw how people struggled during the storm and how everything looked like after the water subsided. I was pretty much homeless for hours as I can't go back home, literally, 'cause I had, like, 5 pesos in my wallet...

I won't bore you with the gory victim details I have but I will tell you this: It made me paranoid. Even more so now that I have Brianna (I had her in 2011). Every time the rain pours, there are 5 things that enter my mind and I would love to share it with everyone, especially now that #RubyPH will make landfall this weekend. Without further ado, I bring to you:

Let's get down to business, shall we?

I am not hating on Twitter. In fact, I love the thing so much, I am actually talking to myself here. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, whatever... Stop checking it every 5 minutes especially while the rain's pouring. It won't do you any good - nakakapraning ang tweets pag bumabagyo, swear - and your battery will run out pretty quickly and you'll need all your phones/gadgets' juices during the storm. Which brings us to...

Charge everything. Your cellphone, your tablet, your laptop, your portable charger, your portable WiFi, your radio, your rechargeable batteries, everything! When there's a storm, there is an 80% chance that power will be out and you will need every drop of battery juice to last you until power comes back on. This is especially important for your mobile phones and your radio. Mobile phones because - most probably - telephone lines will be cut off, too, so for you to reach your loved ones and emergency response teams, you'll need a fully charged phone. Radio because it's the only thing that can keep you updated with what's happening that consumes the least energy among all of your gadgets. While social media can keep you more updated with what's happening, it also drains your battery like a faucet. Radio. Tried and tested.

Yes. Get your grocery shopping on. Buy everything you need: food, deodorant, tissue papers, everything! Just don't get more than what you really need. There are people who need them, too, and we don't want for them to arrive to empty shelves. I've realized this when I was walking inside the Landmark supermarket, September 29, 2009. I felt so bad watching people actually shoving each other to get the last loaf of bread on the shelf. Yes, we need to stock up our pantries for times of calamities but we can be nice while doing it.

My everyday bag is some sort of mini emergency bag because of its contents. I don't know what the actual requirements are by government agencies but for me, here are the essentials:

• Canned goods (na matagal pa ang expiration dates)
• Can opener or better yet, a Swiss army knife
• Bottles of water (2 gallons per person)
• A small radio
• Flash light (preferably the one that uses up kinetic energy)
• Extra batteries
• Chargers
• Whistle
• A bottle of isopropyl alcohol
• Deodorant
• Tissue (facial and wet wipes)
• Change of clothes good for 2 days
• First aid kit
• Towels
• A heavy duty, fully charged phone - I suggest a basic Nokia phone - or a 2 way radio
• Sanitary napkins for women
• A couple of thousand pesos
• Blanket
• Toys, books, stuffed animals

Now, I have a toddler so this list that I came up with is for parents who has toddlers or older kids in the family. If you have infants, there's an entirely different list for you.

Take note of all the emergency hotlines and social media hashtags that you need in times of disasters. Print a list of them out and post it on your cork board and/or refrigerators. This way, you can get more information, updates, and help, if ever, when you need it.

So there you have it. Hope this list helps you with getting ready for the landfall of #RubyPH this coming days. It's just kinda weird - and sad - to be getting ready for a storm during the Christmas season. Global warming... Tsktsktsk.