Tuesday, September 29, 2009

TYPHOON "ONDOY" POURED UNPRECEDENTED RAIN AND FLOOD



WHEN DISASTER STRIKES,
EVERYONE is caught unawares and totally surprised. “This can’t be happening. It has never happened before.”

This came out of our lips when Typhoon Ondoy poured rain water equivalent according to PAG-ASA to one month of rain. And it surely felt that way Saturday when the street in front of our house flooded in the wink of an eye. Looking out to where the sea was, we saw Roxas Boulevard under water and the water flowing into our direction instead of out to sea.

We went into the rain to assess the situation forgetting that I had my cell phone in my pocket. It conked out. Then I saw in the intersecting street my son Bengene in his small car trying to turn left into our house but by then the street was under water so I signaled him to back up. But because of the rain, he can’t see his rear so I went to him and guided him going backward to park in front of Ate Pet’s house.

I went back and saw our street flooded and the drainage clogged. I reached down and found a wet rug blocking it. I forced it out. Flood water came rushing down, with all the plastic bags, lots of them. I told one of the guys to guard the plastics from blocking the water.

Then I realized that if our street is flooded what about those places that are flooded when we are not? We thought about the house where our grandson Eli stays. We were informed that the front of house is already under water.

A day after we learned the extent of the disaster and another day later we are seeing the full gloomy news. Flood went into Gagalangin Unida Church, Tipas is under water and will stay so for a week or perhaps a month, Tipas Unida Church is surrounded by water and worshippers will have to go by banca to worship, and we received the news that our Pastor Rainier was rescued from the roof of their house. A lot of cars and vans were submerged in water.

Government agencies are busy rescuing people and feeding and curing those in evacuation centers. It will take a lot of time before we recover from this disaster.