WHEN Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) was first reported as a low pressure area (LPA) less than a week ago, no one expected that it would escalate into something destructive in just a few days.
When SunStar Cebu first reported on Odette’s movement as an LPA on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, many thought it would only make landfall in the Eastern Visayas-Caraga area by Dec. 15.
But in less than five days, that LPA developed into a tropical depression, then a tropical storm, before finally becoming a typhoon.
When the US Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command announced that Odette had become a super typhoon, authorities scrambled to warn their residents to evacuate immediately, especially those who were living in danger zones.
When it made landfall in Carcar City at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16, Cebuanos felt the full might of Mother Nature tearing everything down, whether natural or manmade.
When the storm passed, Cebu was no longer the same.