By Cliff Potts – WPS.News, Baybay City, Leyte

Pre-Landfall: The Calm Before the Storm

A tropical disturbance east of the Philippines strengthened steadily as it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility late on October 31, 2025. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) named the system Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally “Tino,” on November 2 (PAGASA, 2025). By November 3, meteorologists had raised storm alerts across the Eastern Visayas, warning of torrential rain, flash floods, and landslides as the cyclone advanced toward Leyte and Samar (The Guardian, 2025).

Authorities advised early evacuation of coastal communities, suspending sea travel and preparing public schools and university classrooms as temporary shelters (ABS-CBN News, 2025).

Field Notes — 3:00 p.m., Barangay Guatulapa
Everyone on the beach has been given the opportunity to evacuate. We are in a school room at the local university—no cots, BYO. I’ve got a yoga mat and a blanket; it’s all I had. Lots of not-fun. So far, the storm is still far away.

6:01 p.m. Dinner was tuna and rice. We brought that ourselves. There is no assistance here. No Red Cross. No Salvation Army. Just you and your community. We are well off because I’ve been adding small amounts of canned stock just for such occasions.

It’s the first night, so everything feels like a community slumber party. The village of Guadalupe is used to the drill. The wind coming through the boarded windows is still the kiss of a soft friend inviting play.

The tuna here isn’t the albacore we’re used to in the U.S.; it’s fishier. The rice was from breakfast—cold dinner, but good and filling. Calories in. Not that, as big as I am, I couldn’t stand a few less meals. Oh—no Monday exercise today.

The dogs are good. Our neighbor Areis is watching over the property in case the wind becomes a problem. We can deal with floods; the river has flowed through the house a few times.

Landfall: The Long Night Begins

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on November 4, Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall along the coast of Southern Leyte, bringing sustained winds of 155 km/h and gusts exceeding 210 km/h (PAGASA, 2025). Torrential rain triggered flash floods in Ormoc, Baybay City, and Abuyog, while landslides were reported in several upland barangays (NDRRMC SitRep No. 7, 2025). The regional power grid collapsed shortly after impact, plunging much of Leyte into darkness (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2025).

Field Notes — 10:26 p.m., November 3
I got up to wash my arms with alcohol. Seems some ants decided to use me as a land bridge during my nap, and someone left a scent marker telling others to take a taste of the fat human. I ended up with ant bites all over my arms. The alcohol kills the itch—and the trail.

Frogs are in the hills, singing out their favorite song to one another. The rain is still falling and the wind is kicking up. Ryan tells me landfall should be around 2 or 3 in the morning. It’s time to trek to the necessary and try to nap with the ants again.

Field Notes — 1:16 a.m., November 4
They figured out what I could have told them at 3:00—the room they put us in was not sustainable. The boards they put up fell off in the wind, and the thin plastic sheeting didn’t hold. They moved us all to a small room deeper in the building facing the atrium; it blocks much of the wind.

We should call this the Night of the Typhoon. The only thing we’re missing is zombies and shotguns. There’s no air in this room. I think we’ve lost power; the light in the privy isn’t working and the Wi-Fi is gone. Sleep would be nice. Landfall should be in about two hours.

Dawn: Silence After the Storm

By 5:00 a.m., Typhoon Kalmaegi had weakened as it moved westward over the Visayas, leaving a trail of downed trees, power outages, and localized flooding across Leyte (PAGASA, 2025).

Field Notes — 5:06–5:42 a.m., November 4
It has passed. The rain has stopped. The winds are calm. And the cock crows to wake up the world to another day. Any damage? I doubt it. Everyone is safe. That’s what counts.

The room now awakens, and life—such as it is—begins again. There’s a cat meowing, and a puppy whining among all the people. Welcome to the Philippines.

Aftermath: Seven Days Without Power

By sunrise, the National Grid Corporation confirmed a complete power loss throughout Leyte and parts of Samar (NGCP, 2025). Telecommunications companies reported widespread outages.

Field Notes — 6:41 a.m., November 4
The house is safe. The tree outside is down. Only one mishap coming home—I looked like I was mud wrestling in Atlantic City.

We are all healthy. Systems are down. Ryan said walking home was like a scene from The Walking Dead.

These messages may get through before we get power and Wi-Fi. I’m guessing 10 to 30 days, but it turned out to be seven.

Day Two: Waiting for the Lights

Field Notes — November 5
I’m at less than 20 percent now. Towers are dead too. Julius, my nephew, says they should have power up in three days. I hope he’s right.

Still no power or Wi-Fi. I got the phone charged at a station that costs 50¢ a phone. Living in the tropics—hot and sunny. No fans.

8:47 p.m. Still waiting for network.

We have a good full moon. Gives us some light to see by. Yes, they do call this: Adventure.

Day Seven: Limited Service, Loss, and Routine

Field Notes — November 10
Hi. Have some limited service on the cell phone. Ryan and Kim are fine. We lost Gizmo in the night. He’d been sick before the typhoon. We are well. Still no electricity or Wi-Fi.

Day Eight–Ten: The Long Wait

Field Notes — November 7–8
Everything in the area is electronically dead. I keep this record and listen to audiobooks. I usually have a dozen full-length books on my phone. During the day I study languages and read ChatGPT for Dummies. People are afraid of new technology.

9:25 a.m. Nov 8 — As far as WPS.News, I wonder how many stories I have scheduled. Bluesky is loaded through December. Occupy25.com through February.

12:22 a.m. Nov 8 — Don’t worry about me and the girl. She’s learning English. Smart enough to ask. Not dating—just a friend. Insomnia; it’s hot and muggy. Cold showers help.

12:32 p.m. Nov 8 — Power restored downtown. I’m hitching a ride on Shakey’s Baybay free Wi-Fi. (Credit to Shakey’s for being the first to reopen with internet.)

9:22 p.m. Nov 8 — I look forward to having my system back—power and Wi-Fi.

Day Eleven: Recovery and Reflection

Field Notes — 11:39 a.m., November 9
We have power back up, but no Wi-Fi. They restored power in less than a week—that’s impressive.
I can talk about Luz, my late wife, without crying—that’s progress. (It isn’t the storm. Just time.)

Afternoon — November 4th we lost power. That’s five days; the power is back. Not bad—better than in the States. I may have overdone my walking yesterday. My mind is willing but my flesh is “what the hell!?” after that mud slide down the hill on Tuesday. (Slipped, slid, cussed, got up—story of my life.)

9:40 p.m. Nov 9 — Missing Luz. No one to talk to about it here. Language barrier. I’ll go to Shakey’s tomorrow to drop this in the data stream.

Day Twelve–Thirteen: Light and Life Return

Field Notes — November 10
8:58 a.m. Monday morning
1:18 a.m. Still no signal. Supposed to be free text via Messenger—no pictures. Not working. Going to store again.

Later — Hi! We are back live again. Impressed—only down one week.
Went to store for fresh meat (since we have power) and had Shakey’s for lunch.
Router light green when we came home.
7:57 p.m. here, 5:57 a.m. there—get coffee, wake up, take your time.

Epilogue: The Island Endures

In the end, Barangay Guatulapa weathered the storm much like the rest of Leyte—battered but unbroken. For seven days, life shrank to flashlights, canned food, and borrowed battery time. When the power returned, the silence broke with laughter, barking dogs, and the sound of neighbors checking in on one another.
No one in Baybay City will forget those nights by candlelight—or how community filled the space where government aid never arrived. The island survived again, as it always does.

References (APA Format)

ABS-CBN News. (2025, November 4). Typhoon Tino intensifies further as it passes Homonhon-Dinagat area. ABS-CBN Corporation.

Baybay LGU Bulletin. (2025, November 8). Local situation update: Post-Kalmaegi recovery. Baybay City Public Information Office.

CNN Philippines. (2025, November 4). Baybay City reports minimal damage as Kalmaegi moves westward. CNN Philippines Digital.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). (2025, November 10). Service restoration update: Eastern Visayas cellular networks re-energized. DICT Press Release.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). (2025, November 4–10). Situation Reports Nos. 6–14: Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino). NDRRMC.

National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). (2025, November 4). Operations update: Leyte-Samar transmission lines offline. NGCP Press Release.

Philippine Daily Inquirer. (2025, November 4). Leyte braces as Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall; power, communication lines down. Inquirer Interactive.

Philippine News Agency (PNA). (2025, November 11). Relief efforts reach Leyte as Kalmaegi recovery continues. PNA Digital.

The Guardian. (2025, November 3). Philippines braces for tropical cyclone Tino as Visayas placed under storm alert. Guardian News & Media Ltd.

Editorial Summary

When the Island Went Silent is both frontline reporting and personal testimony: a week-long account from Barangay Guatulapa, Baybay City, Leyte, documenting life during and after Typhoon Kalmaegi. Told in time-stamped field notes, it captures the rhythm of survival—canned meals, flickering candles, lost pets, humor, and the momentary relief of a green light on a router. It stands as a tribute to resilience and to the community spirit that endures long after storms pass.

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