Face to Face with Disaster

Last Year December 16, 2011, my neighborhood was struck by the flash flood around 10 in the evening. The flood reached our home by midnight then it got worst by midnight until 2am of December 17th. After those hours the rescuer were then able to get through to alms help and rescue people that were trap on the roof top and inside houses. Many lives were lost that night and many are still missing until now. I don't want to say that we were lucky or blessed...I would prefer to say that we were protected and guided those times for non of our relatives were physically harmed and no one in our street died. Also, we were able to restore mostly of our things from water damages.

That night, I can still recall that my husband and I were discussing our "supposed to be a wedding day" which was December 17, 2011 but were cancelled that September. There was a typhoon that evening "Sendong" yet there was no much rain but only strong winds. We were watching X-men on DVD and the light goes on and off that night...then there was a brownout. So we decided to sleep early and plan to jog on the morning. We were tightly asleep that night when the horror begun. Our neighbor cries awaken us all in the house. When I heard the screaming plus the howling of the dogs and the glass breaking sound everywhere, the first thing that comes to my thought was "WAR" but then it sounded more like "The Walking Dead" tv series which I've been watching those times also. When I looked outside the window I saw glittering lights in the ground. I wasn't able to recognize immediately that it was water already carried by the flood because it was so dark outside.

By those time the flood water has reached the ninth step of our stairs already and our neighbors were swimming across from their houses to ours. My husband immediately lifted our important things to higher places while I secured my dog "Curt" right away. Yes I was silently panicking and I couldn't find my pants. I already have my bag, a "bra & panty", a flashlight and my jacket. Then I looked around thinking what else should i bring? then the water was inside our room now. My husband handed the airbed and the pump to me and instructed me to go up. I wasn't sure where "UP" does he meant. So I went upstairs to her sister's room and waited for him there for a minute. It was really dark so I went down again and he shouted "i told you to go up!" so then I realized that he was referring to go to up the hill. So he grab me and we went up the hill. Water rises up to the ceiling level in our are. We were so unprepared those hours. Then I realized that I left my cellphone, and I thought I have an extra panty but it was a towelette and also I thought I already secured Curt's tie but there was none so used my extra "bra". And I also left the airbed in the room. Luckily my husband has his cellphone but it was in low battery already but we manage to call important people to tell them we are okay and call others as well to know their situation.

By morning of December 17th 2011, bodies were recovered everywhere. Vehicles and houses were displaced and eroded and some were trap and died inside their car and houses. Thick mud covers our ground. It was a sad day for Cagayan de oro and Iligan City. More than a thousand lives were lost and hundreds went missing. In my neighborhood, it took us a month before we finally had water and electricity. From those time we depend on fire truck that delivers water supply and we have to wait for them on our street. We go to different places to charge our cellphones and emergency lights. There was also a panic buying especially on bottled water and can goods. Help arrive but mostly they go straight to the evacuation center and to the most affected part. Help that I received personally were all from my family; My PARETNS, My sister-in-law Kristiene, Tita Julie AKA "pangging", Tita Febe Dojillo, Tita Diane, Tita Luzvi, Tita Fylgia, and from my cousins Brian, Donna, Zorne, Danny Boy, and Riza Regalado. Also, Riza gave me nice clothes and footwear and a rice cooker from her parents. And thank you also for all who prayed for our safety and for all the victims.

I'd like to dedicate this post for my husband's childhood friend Mark Angelo Plaza; a rescuer. He gone missing for 2 days and found dead in Tambo Macasandig on Dec. 19th.

And also to our living Hero SANO! who rescued our other neighbors who were trap inside their houses.