Monday, September 28, 2009

Dear Friends and Readers,

The great flood brought about by Typhoon "Ondoy", brought an unparalleled havoc to greater Manila. There were so many homes and families affected. Some lost their houses and still there are those who lost loved ones due to the flood that literally swallowed whole houses.

As I'm writing this, I and my family are staying with my in-laws. My house was half-submerged in flood water but luckily, everyone is safe and no irrevocable damage was done. The only ones in the house when the flood waters suddenly rose were D 2 and 4, Ethan, hubby, our house help and my 2 dogs. D 1 was on duty while my son was in his apartment in Quezon City.

To make a really long story short, the ones left in the house were stranded because the flood water reached up to neck high on the street level - my hubby's neck and he's 6'1". I fetched D3 in her clinic in Alabang. She and I went about driving for 8 hours looking for ways to get home while I told D1 and my son to stay put. After praying for so long, I can't even tell where the ends and the beginnings of my prayers were, D3 and I finally reached hubby's office where we stayed overnight. The news that I saw on TV horrified me even more especially when I learned that my mama's house was also submerged in flood water and that two of my nephews have lost their houses to the flood. My mama is in Taytay, my two nephews are from Marikina and Cainta - three areas badly affected by the flood. As I called my family on the mobile phone, I told D2 that since the flood was still steadily rising, they should consider braving the flood and walk to hubby's office about 1K away. D2 said the current was strong and since the water level was more than 5 feet, the surrounding area dark, the rain incessant, they'd have a hard time swimming -and that is granting Ethan could swim.

I hung up the phone and for the next two hours prayed like I've never prayed before. God is good. My prayers were answered. First, when D3 and I were still driving around looking for ways to get home, I claimed the I wanted to us to safe and dry by 9:00 P.M. We reached hubby's office by 9:10 P.M. Next I claimed for the rain to stop and for the safety of my family and relatives. My prayers were answered.

The following morning dawned gray and still. I was awakened at 5:00 A.M. by the shrill ringing of my mobile phone. It was my cousin ( Ninang Myrla), the one who just two weeks ago left for New York to attend the funeral of her brother. She was at the airport, stranded. I told her that she just has to wait a bit as the roads to and from Taytay and Cavite were flooded.

By 6:00 A.M. D3 and I were at my in-law's house. Since my sis-in-law as updated, we planned on how to "rescue" the rest of my family stranded in the house. There was no food as the freezer was floating in the basement. The canned goods were of no use to Ethan and D2 for those two don't eat sardines and corned beef. The last can of SPAM served as their meal the previous night. I jokingly suggested that I should buy an inflatable raft. We all laughed but as D3 and I looked eye to eye, she knew that I was going to do it.

SM opened at 10:00 A.M. D3, my sis-in-law and her daughter and I were one of the first costumers that day. I bought 2 inflatables, one big and one small. I was delegated the head of the "rescue" mission. I borrowed a big van, put in the two inflated rafts and asked my sis-in-law's gardener to come with me as co-rescuer. D3 called D2 to get ready for "mom bought 2 rafts to save her precious grandson."


Ethan says good-bye to daughter 2 as he was first to be "rescued"



daughter 4 as viewed at Chippy's (my Shitzu) eye level


The "rescue" mission was a success. Everyone was safe and dry. My son was safe and dry too at his apartment and D1 was able to drive home from the hospital. Her car was one of the few not submerged by flood in the parking area.

One glitch. As I was taking down the oars of the raft from the van, I slipped and dislocated my left thumb. The middle joint was grotesquely angled at 45 degrees so what I did was pulled it right back then had D1 drove me to ER. My thumb has a hairline fracture. The doctor said my presence of mind saved my thumb from a cement cast. My left thumb is in a splint.

As I type with my right hand and three fingers of my left hand, I feel ever so blessed as the only casualty of the "Ondoy" in the family is my dang left thumb. It's swollen and painful but what the heck?! I can live with that.
Posted by desperateblogger On 9/28/2009 10:38:00 AM 11 comments

11 comments:

  1. good to hear that you and your family are safe. musta na ang left thumb mo?

    hanggang tuhod lang ang baha sa loob ng bahay namin, then nag-subside @2am yesterday. at sa liit ng bahay namin, na-isave namin lahat ng gamit. Panay de-late lang din kinain namin. okey na yun basta safe kami lahat.

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  2. Mabuti safe po kayo. Bumaha din sa amin for the first time since I was born at first time din pumasok sa loob ng bahay namin. Buti na lang na akyat namin lahat ng gamit sa 2nd floor ng bahay. Water is subsiding at may kuryente na ang barangay namin.Thank God.

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  3. grabe, i thought matindi na yun nangyari samin ni gwen. we were stuck along edsa for more than 6 hours to find a way to fetch my son who was stranded in school. kaso buro baha daanan namin hanggang lumabas na kame ng edsa at natuck na dun. walang fud at water lang nasa oto. walang diaper so gwen had to pee sa plastic. grabe gutom na gutom kame. gas ko 1/4 na lang so i had to turn off the engine para walang gas wastage. grabe talaga. good thing my son was safe din at nakapagstay overnight sa classmate nya na malapit sa school.

    buti na lang ok na kayo. 2 days brownout din samin at when i watched the news thankful ako at talagang maswerte pa rin tayo. grabe mga nangyari sa iba. grabe talaga.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an ordeal you had to go through. I forgot you have a basement nga pala. Were you able to salvage anything from down there?

    Nakakalungkot how many people are affected by this.

    Thank God you're all safe.Stay that way. I'm sure marami pang problema ang haharapin nyo as a result of this great flood.

    Praying for your continued safety.

    Huling

    ReplyDelete
  5. im glad ur safe. i thought about u yesterday when i heard about the typhoon. i have relatives who live in Marikina where the flood they say was worst. yun tita ko malapit pa sila sa Marikina River so imagine na lang yun baha...they had no choice but to climb up to the rooftop..havent heard from them..nabalitaan ko lang sa cousin ko nanyari..they're safe, that's what matters..

    nyway, musta ang daliri natn? sakit pa rin ba? di bale, ur a hero in my eyes and other people's eyes for heading the successful rescue mission..God bless u a hundredfold my friend :)

    take care always! pa-kiss na lang kay cute Ethan :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ondoy really left a lot of damage.. Im just glad that you and your family are okay. we'll continue to pray for our kababayans who still have not found shelter...

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  7. Oh, what the doted GrandMa would do for her beloved Ethan! Good to know that your loved-ones are all ok.

    I really do feel sorry for the ones who lost everything! I hope and pray the said-to-be coming storm will not be as bad as that one!

    Be safe!

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh my, buti na lang po everyone in your family is safe. =) well done rescue mama!

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  9. hi tita. tammy here from sydney. glad to know everyone is ok. hope you get better soon.

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  10. hey everyone!

    thanks for the concern and prayers. we are all fine. the house is still a mess, hubby is ok, my thumb is still in a splint, my car is in the shop, and we're lucky and blessed. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sabi nga there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, grabe talaga ginawang pinsala ni Ondoy pero nakasurvive naman tayong mga Pinoy.

    Tama nga na we appreciate and turn to positive things kasi yan ang mag aangat sa atin para magsimula ulit. :)

    Glad you and your family are all safe and ok. :)

    ReplyDelete

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