You probably heard so much about what happened on September 26, 2009 when Typhoon Ketsana (local name: Ondoy) wreaked havoc on Central Luzon and Metro Manila which claimed 729 lives and thousands of homes and livelihood to flood and mud.
The Philippines is said to be blessed because it is "strategically located as the gateway to Asia". Little did propagandists know that it is not economics that the archipelagic nation would progress but because of proximity. The FACT is that the Philippines is bound, fated, and located strategically to be as the "welcoming party" for any catastrophic typhoon that would make its way to Asia. In simpler terms, this nation is bound for disaster.
I have lived and breathed through different typhoons that has visited this country. I have seen images and read stories about how families lost their loved ones because of floods. How their houses were destroyed, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
But it's different when something like these happen to YOU. That is a different story.
I live in Bulacan and I know you know how our province was also devastated by Ondoy's wrath.
I remember waking up on a Saturday morning because of the continuous rains that have been going since Friday night. I even did my routine of going online and tend my virtual farms on my Facebook account. By mid morning, the rains did not falter. It wasn't "raining cats and dogs" as that obsolete adage say.
My aunt screamed that the dam in Angat will be releasing their gates so as to prevent further catastrophe from occuring. So we just placed some of our stuff in higher ground like on top of high tables and cabinets because we expected it would just be below knee floods.
By 1 p.m., we had out lunch but the rains still poured incessantly. I accompanied my 90-year old grandmother to my room so she could stay there before the floodwaters would come into our house. By 1:30 p.m., I could see murky brown flood outside the gate of our house. We switched off the main power supply to prevent any electrocution and death. And in a few minutes, the floods came rushing into our house already. So my aunt and cousin hurriedly saved whatever we can to my room in the second floor. From televisions, electric fans, stereo, clothes, documents, and other stuff that we could save from the floods.
My uncle and her daughter who were the only ones left in the other house were saving what they can. They did not have any second floor so they just placed their stuff where floods could not reach them. By 2:30, the floods were already waist deep and we were panicking already as to where my uncle and cousin were because they should be on our second floor rooms or they could drown inside their home. Finally, they emerged from the rooftop of their house and walked towards my room's veranda.
The rains continued and the floods rose to levels that we never expected. Now all 7 of us cramped in my small room and we monitored how floods ate up the levels of our stairway. By 2:45 pm, only 8 levels left before floods enter the second floor. By 3 pm, 7 levels left.
We looked outside the veranda and we saw how our street became a virtual river suited for white water rafting. It was rampaging waters and in it carried doors, LPG tanks, plank of wood that used to be houses and just about anything that was buoyant. It was just shocking.
The rains still continued in the late afternoon. The floods still continued to rise and we could see how our sofa, tables, piano, and other stuff floated downstairs. It was totally a screen shot from 'Titanic' where everything floated and you could just hear the water rushing in. I could even hear the haunting music of James Horner in my ear as that scene materialized in my eyes at that moment. It was horrifying. Could this be the end? Could this be what Noah experienced?
Though we had no electricity and no television, we were so thankful we had power in our mobile phones and we updated our families in the US and Canada what we were experiencing. We shared dinner which was just a leftover from our lunch and had my cousin's baon of chips and crackers.
By 8 pm, the flood waters began to subside and by 11 pm, we could see our things drenched in mud. We couldn't do anything because it was dark so we had to forego til morning.
By 5:30 in the morning, we were up. We didn't get a decent sleep because we were thinking of the cleaning task that was ahead of us. With all the mud around, it was slippery and dirty and I couldn't care less. We just need to clean it all up or else it would be more difficult to clean the mud when it's dry.
Lack of sleep and rest gets you down and by 8 am, we were already tired and hungry. Until the neighborhood store which sells ice cream began distributing popsicles and ice cream cups around. It was breakfast. We even cared to laugh at ourselves as we devoured near-melting dairies to sustain our hunger.
Cleaning after neck-deep flood waters that rushed inside the house is no joke. It is daunting and frustrating. From appliances that are in no way to be resuscitated to its normal condition, to books that are virtually ruined but also photos that are destroyed completely and sentimental knickknacks that are gone forever.
With these devastation that has happened to my family, I still realized how lucky we were because nobody was hurt or died unlike other families who have lost their loved ones from this tragedy. Things can be lost and recovered but lives cannot be restored.
I have found respect for nature and how these powerful elements: fire, earth, air and water can be life-giving but can be omnipotent to become life-taking.
It is no wonder why God made Filipinos resilient and still smile at the face of disaster though the Philippines is forsaken to embrace catastrophes.
The Philippines is said to be blessed because it is "strategically located as the gateway to Asia". Little did propagandists know that it is not economics that the archipelagic nation would progress but because of proximity. The FACT is that the Philippines is bound, fated, and located strategically to be as the "welcoming party" for any catastrophic typhoon that would make its way to Asia. In simpler terms, this nation is bound for disaster.
I have lived and breathed through different typhoons that has visited this country. I have seen images and read stories about how families lost their loved ones because of floods. How their houses were destroyed, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
But it's different when something like these happen to YOU. That is a different story.
I live in Bulacan and I know you know how our province was also devastated by Ondoy's wrath.
I remember waking up on a Saturday morning because of the continuous rains that have been going since Friday night. I even did my routine of going online and tend my virtual farms on my Facebook account. By mid morning, the rains did not falter. It wasn't "raining cats and dogs" as that obsolete adage say.
My aunt screamed that the dam in Angat will be releasing their gates so as to prevent further catastrophe from occuring. So we just placed some of our stuff in higher ground like on top of high tables and cabinets because we expected it would just be below knee floods.
By 1 p.m., we had out lunch but the rains still poured incessantly. I accompanied my 90-year old grandmother to my room so she could stay there before the floodwaters would come into our house. By 1:30 p.m., I could see murky brown flood outside the gate of our house. We switched off the main power supply to prevent any electrocution and death. And in a few minutes, the floods came rushing into our house already. So my aunt and cousin hurriedly saved whatever we can to my room in the second floor. From televisions, electric fans, stereo, clothes, documents, and other stuff that we could save from the floods.
My uncle and her daughter who were the only ones left in the other house were saving what they can. They did not have any second floor so they just placed their stuff where floods could not reach them. By 2:30, the floods were already waist deep and we were panicking already as to where my uncle and cousin were because they should be on our second floor rooms or they could drown inside their home. Finally, they emerged from the rooftop of their house and walked towards my room's veranda.
The rains continued and the floods rose to levels that we never expected. Now all 7 of us cramped in my small room and we monitored how floods ate up the levels of our stairway. By 2:45 pm, only 8 levels left before floods enter the second floor. By 3 pm, 7 levels left.
We looked outside the veranda and we saw how our street became a virtual river suited for white water rafting. It was rampaging waters and in it carried doors, LPG tanks, plank of wood that used to be houses and just about anything that was buoyant. It was just shocking.
The rains still continued in the late afternoon. The floods still continued to rise and we could see how our sofa, tables, piano, and other stuff floated downstairs. It was totally a screen shot from 'Titanic' where everything floated and you could just hear the water rushing in. I could even hear the haunting music of James Horner in my ear as that scene materialized in my eyes at that moment. It was horrifying. Could this be the end? Could this be what Noah experienced?
Though we had no electricity and no television, we were so thankful we had power in our mobile phones and we updated our families in the US and Canada what we were experiencing. We shared dinner which was just a leftover from our lunch and had my cousin's baon of chips and crackers.
By 8 pm, the flood waters began to subside and by 11 pm, we could see our things drenched in mud. We couldn't do anything because it was dark so we had to forego til morning.
By 5:30 in the morning, we were up. We didn't get a decent sleep because we were thinking of the cleaning task that was ahead of us. With all the mud around, it was slippery and dirty and I couldn't care less. We just need to clean it all up or else it would be more difficult to clean the mud when it's dry.
Lack of sleep and rest gets you down and by 8 am, we were already tired and hungry. Until the neighborhood store which sells ice cream began distributing popsicles and ice cream cups around. It was breakfast. We even cared to laugh at ourselves as we devoured near-melting dairies to sustain our hunger.
Cleaning after neck-deep flood waters that rushed inside the house is no joke. It is daunting and frustrating. From appliances that are in no way to be resuscitated to its normal condition, to books that are virtually ruined but also photos that are destroyed completely and sentimental knickknacks that are gone forever.
With these devastation that has happened to my family, I still realized how lucky we were because nobody was hurt or died unlike other families who have lost their loved ones from this tragedy. Things can be lost and recovered but lives cannot be restored.
I have found respect for nature and how these powerful elements: fire, earth, air and water can be life-giving but can be omnipotent to become life-taking.
It is no wonder why God made Filipinos resilient and still smile at the face of disaster though the Philippines is forsaken to embrace catastrophes.
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