Typhoon Haiyun, Yolanda

i am some what surprised as well. watching the societal breakdown, looting, lack of food for the people, no water. its exactly what we are preparing for. it gives me even more incentive to keep preparing.

I was gonna post a link. Not sure why I never went through with it.

The sad part is, in Canada, we can afford to prepare for disasters that we rarely ever get, and in place like the Philippines where they need this stuff the most, they can't afford even the basics.

It is sad that they can't afford to prepare, however this is a perfect example of why we should prepare. Even in Canada there are those who don't/won't prepare because they can't afford to or aren't above looting to survive should a similar situation present itself here. We ought not be self righteous in watching the Philippines (by that I mean don't be complacent and think "that would never happen in Canada). There very well could be subversive elements that cause trouble or try and take advantage while the countries resources to manage them are stretched. Being prepared to the best of your ability and resources is the best defence.

What lessons are you absorbing?
I was thinking having preps in place with a not too distant alliance you can fall in with or that will search you out with aid immediately is a huge advantage , even here those flooded out in Calgary were fortunate to have others take them in . A coordinated buddy system can plan as much as possible in advance then activate much quicker than government and relief agencies cannot mobilize . Note that the government there is not even trusted to handle foreign relief supplies and the armed mobs are slowing relief efforts as they have to have security just to distribute aid supplies.
Wow opsec for your preps becomes all too important when you really have door to door armed house invasion looting going on after the stores have been stripped.
Structural strength of buildings seems to have had a huge impact, one unscathed building used for a relief centre was a coca cola plant that seemed to have remained unscathed . It appeared to be a two story concrete building. It brings to mind for me the economy of using shipping containers in construction.

It is sad that they can't afford to prepare, however this is a perfect example of why we should prepare. Even in Canada there are those who don't/won't prepare because they can't afford to or aren't above looting to survive should a similar situation present itself here. We ought not be self righteous in watching the Philippines (by that I mean don't be complacent and think "that would never happen in Canada). There very well could be subversive elements that cause trouble or try and take advantage while the countries resources to manage them are stretched. Being prepared to the best of your ability and resources is the best defence.

No doubt, I definitely edited what I wrote, realizing with respect to the citizens of Calgary that these things DO happen.

the thing that caught my eye was when the second storm rolled through, people were using tarps for shelter but they were letting the rainwater escape instead of collecting it. Maybe it was a lack of containers or they were just in shock, I like to think that by preparing and practicing ,in a situation like that it would be somewhat second nature to start collecting it. since I have never been in that situation it is hard to know how I would react

I am pretty sure with bodies floating by, the mass destruction of everything I know in that community and my home and likely where one grew up, missing or dead family and friends , and the brutality of my own experience were I to survive it, that I would be in shock and not making clearly thought out decisions. I would struggle not to be the deer in the headlights knowing the storm was approaching but in shock and depression after. Hence preparing and thinking through things ahead and having plans to redundancy might be the only way I could muddle my way through .