Man-Yi (Pepito), Toraji (Nika), and Usagi (Ofel) left hundreds displaced, homes wrecked, and communication connections badly disrupted, therefore requiring those impacted to rely on social media and news outlets for updates.

Dubai resident Lani Catapang expressed her concern; her family resides in the municipality of Dilasag, Aurora Province. Typhoon Man-Yi delivered strong gusts that crushed houses and tore off roofs, therefore affecting her area among others. She remarked, "The roof of my house was gone," then added that she hadn't spoken to her family for four days. She spoke with them last on November 17, the day the hurricane made landfall, bringing strong gusts and lots of rain. Her first concern now is fixing her house with her monthly pay.

On November 19 Aurora Province, where Catapang's family lives, was formally declared a state of disaster. Comprising three cyclones displaced about 61,000 persons in the Central Luzon area facing the Philippine Sea, their combined impact affects the province. Although no injuries were recorded, infrastructure, residences, farms, and small businesses suffered notable damage. Local officials have started clean-up projects clearing roads, fixing electricity and communication lines, and removing fallen trees. For Catapang, these initiatives provide a meager comfort while she waits to see her family.

The scope of damage went beyond Aurora. The cyclones caused about 500,000 people to be forced to flee their homes and more than three million people, or 820,000 households, across the Philippines suffered. As rescue efforts go on, thousands still find refuge in emergency shelters. J Rom Anoling dela Cruz, another UAE citizen whose family resides in Isabela Province, said the damage was unheard of. Up to chest level, floodwater flooded his parents' house; their main source of income—a fish pond—was utterly ruined. "Our town still lacks electricity and network signals are erratic," he remarked. Fortunately, his family now has some respite from relief goods.

Like Aurora, Isabela was left in a condition of disaster following extreme flooding. Leaving the Philippines on November 18, Super Typhoon Man-Yi caused great devastation, flooding homes, killing animals, and millions of agricultural losses. For dela Cruz, the intensity of the typhoons this year is remarkable; six storms have struck the nation since late October alone, causing 163 deaths throughout the impacted areas.

Other areas that have suffered greatly include the typhoon-prone Catanduanes Province in the Bicol region. Another expatriate, Gian Sarmiento, said that although his province does not yet show any recorded deaths, the situation is still terrible. "Power and water supply are still down,," he said. The demand for immediate relief is great given more than 750,000 individuals seeking cover in emergency shelters—including retail centers and churches. For updates, Sarmiento depends on local and social media since direct contact with his family is still not allowed.

Those whose families were spared the most recent storm are nonetheless coping with the fallout of past typhones. While Typhoon Man-Yi avoided her town, Lorely Magdaraog, a Milaor, Camarines Sur resident, observed that her family is still healing from the damage Typhoon Trami (Kristine) inflicted late October.

These successive calamities draw attention to the Philippines' vulnerability to severe weather occurrences, a nation that gets 20 typhoons on average. Along with upsetting daily life, the current run of storms emphasizes the need of disaster readiness and strong infrastructure. For Filipino expats in the UAE such as Catapang, dela Cruz, Sarmiento, and Magdaraog, the fight to remain in touch with their loved ones keeps on while they deal with the combined difficulty of helping their family from far away and adjusting to the uncertainties presented by natural disasters.

Filipino expats in UAE lose contact as typhoon destroy homes, cut power lines

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