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Two days after a intensity 6.9 seismic event struck her native town in the heartland country, Arguel Estalicas explains she still experiences lightheaded everytime she gets to her feet.

That reeling sensation, coupled with a succession of tremors, has left the 35-year-old travel official and countless other victims too frightened to go back to their residences, obliging them to stay in makeshift accommodations for now.

The earthquake jolted the north coast of Cebu, one of the land's most populous islands, on the late hours of 30 September, startling many out of their slumber.

It killed at least 72 persons and wounded 300 others, as dwellings, buildings and religious sites fell down and pathways split.

I'm still struggling to comprehend what has happened to us. I am overcome with the events we faced in the previous two days.

The 35-year-old lives in Medellin town, in proximity to the tremor's origin point. Disaster response authorities report the quake uprooted about 40,000 residents across Cebu, a major business and transportation nexus in the middle Philippines.

She mentioned she left bed shouting when the tremor occurred and ran outdoors with her loved ones.

They spent the night under the night sky, but when a slight shower fell, Ms Estalicas and her family wrapped themselves up in polyethylene sheets because they did not have waterproof clothing.

Images on social media depicted them positioned on plastic chairs, swathed in covering material steamed up by their respiration.

Nourishment, Water and Gasoline Needed

The Philippines is prone to environmental catastrophes. It is positioned on the seismically active "Ring of Fire" - so called because of the significant amount of tremors and volcanic mountains that take place here.

The Cebu quake on Tuesday is one of the most intense and deadliest in recent years. In 2013, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in neighbouring Bohol island caused the death of over 200 persons and destroyed historic churches.

On Thursday, relief personnel scoured through rubble as officials worked to deliver food, repair energy and communication lines, and remove pathways of wreckage.

The Philippine armed forces has dispatched troops to assist maintain calm during rescue missions.

However, essential items remain a pressing issue for many.

Photographer Doods Demape opted on Thursday to make a lengthy journey from Medellin to the regional center to purchase provisions since no shops were open.

Mr Demape explains he faced difficulty to locate a petrol station that was not flooded with lengthy lines.

Most streets are now accessible so supplies are now reaching from the city. But urgent provisions like drinking water and nourishment, notably for the children are not yet obtainable.

In Bogo city, the earthquake's epicenter, regional news show corpse coverings placed on the avenue in front of improvised treatment centers where the hurt are being cared for.

This current earthquake happens in the middle of a powerful storm season. Two consecutive tempests submerged extensive areas of the country a week before.

Broad inundations from those weather events and previous rainy rains have stirred community frustration and triggered civil unrest.

Cebu is particularly prone to cyclones. It is located on the general trajectory of weather systems that develop over the Pacific.

The area's northern region, the epicenter of Tuesday's quake, was struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. That storm claimed the lives of over 6,000 persons in the entire central region.

Part of the numerous buildings damaged by Tuesday's quake was a resettlement area for survivors of Haiyan.

Despite their current hardships, Cebu locals like Ms Estalicas and Mr Pareja are optimistic that they could endure the quake, as they did following Haiyan and the disasters before it.

They say affected individuals are helping each other, what Filipinos call bayanihan or community solidarity.

My sole hope is that aid won't be slowed - and that adjacent municipalities will also be considered and addressed in these rescue missions.