tête-à-tête
Monday, September 28, 2009
first flood
I wish I had a camera last Saturday so I could record how the floodwater brought by tropical storm Ondoy paralyzed transportation and commerce, how much it devastated houses and other structures, let alone the pain and trauma it brought to many people.
What was thought by everybody as an ordinary weather disturbance the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced the night before that would bring sporadic rains and eventually, traffic jams, caused a ravaging deluge instead. It brought gusty winds and poured in just hours an overwhelming amount of rain that entire Metro Manila should be receiving in a month! Experts said that at 450 mm rainfall in such a short time, Ondoy was far worse than Katrina. Dams and rivers swelled and inundated low lying areas which meant virtually all of the metro. And so for the first time, I had to forget that floodwater is murky and gross, a brew of all bacteria and harmful Monera known to man...just to get home.
Walking home after buying some groceries, I noticed that the cars on the street connected to the national road were going the opposite direction. I thought it was just some sort of re-routing to ease the heavy traffic but when I reached the intersection, all I could see was water with everything from cabinets, branches of trees, garbage in it. Many people were on their cellphones obviously informing and asking help from families and friends while others in huddles were trying to figure out how to cross. Some stayed under the entrance canopies of shops because the heavy downpour was nonstop. One guy found a floating fridge and held on to it as he hand-paddled his way to the other side. Every minute, people in total disbelief would arrive. I overheard an old woman say it was the first time that their barangay got flooded. She said that it had such a high elevation. So, what the heck? I gave the same reason to my colleague when she called the school earlier because she got stuck in their village near mine. I instructed her to take that route thinking that it was too high for water to accumulate. I was wrong.
After an hour, a rescue boat from the Philippine Coast Guard arrived to help. Everybody cheered! But it could only accommodate a few people at a time. I wanted to wait for the water to subside but it was getting dark. As I stood in the middle of rain for hours, I could sense a potpourri of worry, confusion, shock, and feeling of helplessness. It is however, in such difficulties that the goodness of the human spirit comes forth and the resilience of the Filipinos is seen. Some able-looking men set up a rope that people could hold on to as they negotiated the flood. Others stayed in the water to guide everybody else where to go. Those who could swim helped some residents salvage and relocate their belongings. I was moved to hear how an old woman thanked a middle-aged guy for carrying her merchandise to safety. Then they shook hands.
But the inconvenience and discomfort I experienced that day is puny compared with the dire conditions and heartbreaking stories of thousands from Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City, Rizal, and Pampanga. On TV, I saw a haunting footage of people on water lilies and garbage floating on a raging river. Then they just disappeared when they hit a bridge. There was an eerie video of two siblings hugging each other who were unearthed a day after the flood. A woman was frantic as she described how her son heroically rescued pets and other people including a baby but failed to save himself. There was a man rescued from the roof of his house on his birthday. He was trapped there for two days without food and water. A guy was crying as he was asking for forgiveness and support from his parents-in-law because he tried but wasn't able to save his wife and baby from drowning. A teenage girl appealed on national television for help because her four siblings and parents were still missing. There were old and sick folks asking for medicine and clothes. And yet there are more. I have no idea what new poignant and horrible stories I will see as I turn on the TV again. The only thing I'm sure about is that, many aren't just watching. Help is continuously pouring in. Even ordinary citizens are chipping in whatever they have to give food and clothes, even shelter. A family opened their building to give refuge to fifty families whose houses were totally wrecked. The day after the flood, I went to the grocery store and a woman was busy dumping canned goods, noodles, toiletries, bottled water into her cart. I thought she was "panic-buying." But at the counter, I heard her ask her maid if she thought those were enough for five families. Inside, I smiled. How kindhearted of her and of those other individuals who quietly help. As I write this, even the international community is doing something. The US Embassy, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Singapore, France, and other countries and organizations including the United Nations have all sent assistance for the victims.
The physical and emotional pain that this tragedy brought upon these so many people is more real to me because I was there when it happened. But I hope those suffering find solace in compassionate gestures and in their faith in a bright future just like the couple who was asked what they would do now that they have lost everything. They said, "We're alive!"
Copyright © 2009 by DenniSinned2. All rights reserved.
What was thought by everybody as an ordinary weather disturbance the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced the night before that would bring sporadic rains and eventually, traffic jams, caused a ravaging deluge instead. It brought gusty winds and poured in just hours an overwhelming amount of rain that entire Metro Manila should be receiving in a month! Experts said that at 450 mm rainfall in such a short time, Ondoy was far worse than Katrina. Dams and rivers swelled and inundated low lying areas which meant virtually all of the metro. And so for the first time, I had to forget that floodwater is murky and gross, a brew of all bacteria and harmful Monera known to man...just to get home.
Walking home after buying some groceries, I noticed that the cars on the street connected to the national road were going the opposite direction. I thought it was just some sort of re-routing to ease the heavy traffic but when I reached the intersection, all I could see was water with everything from cabinets, branches of trees, garbage in it. Many people were on their cellphones obviously informing and asking help from families and friends while others in huddles were trying to figure out how to cross. Some stayed under the entrance canopies of shops because the heavy downpour was nonstop. One guy found a floating fridge and held on to it as he hand-paddled his way to the other side. Every minute, people in total disbelief would arrive. I overheard an old woman say it was the first time that their barangay got flooded. She said that it had such a high elevation. So, what the heck? I gave the same reason to my colleague when she called the school earlier because she got stuck in their village near mine. I instructed her to take that route thinking that it was too high for water to accumulate. I was wrong.
After an hour, a rescue boat from the Philippine Coast Guard arrived to help. Everybody cheered! But it could only accommodate a few people at a time. I wanted to wait for the water to subside but it was getting dark. As I stood in the middle of rain for hours, I could sense a potpourri of worry, confusion, shock, and feeling of helplessness. It is however, in such difficulties that the goodness of the human spirit comes forth and the resilience of the Filipinos is seen. Some able-looking men set up a rope that people could hold on to as they negotiated the flood. Others stayed in the water to guide everybody else where to go. Those who could swim helped some residents salvage and relocate their belongings. I was moved to hear how an old woman thanked a middle-aged guy for carrying her merchandise to safety. Then they shook hands.
But the inconvenience and discomfort I experienced that day is puny compared with the dire conditions and heartbreaking stories of thousands from Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City, Rizal, and Pampanga. On TV, I saw a haunting footage of people on water lilies and garbage floating on a raging river. Then they just disappeared when they hit a bridge. There was an eerie video of two siblings hugging each other who were unearthed a day after the flood. A woman was frantic as she described how her son heroically rescued pets and other people including a baby but failed to save himself. There was a man rescued from the roof of his house on his birthday. He was trapped there for two days without food and water. A guy was crying as he was asking for forgiveness and support from his parents-in-law because he tried but wasn't able to save his wife and baby from drowning. A teenage girl appealed on national television for help because her four siblings and parents were still missing. There were old and sick folks asking for medicine and clothes. And yet there are more. I have no idea what new poignant and horrible stories I will see as I turn on the TV again. The only thing I'm sure about is that, many aren't just watching. Help is continuously pouring in. Even ordinary citizens are chipping in whatever they have to give food and clothes, even shelter. A family opened their building to give refuge to fifty families whose houses were totally wrecked. The day after the flood, I went to the grocery store and a woman was busy dumping canned goods, noodles, toiletries, bottled water into her cart. I thought she was "panic-buying." But at the counter, I heard her ask her maid if she thought those were enough for five families. Inside, I smiled. How kindhearted of her and of those other individuals who quietly help. As I write this, even the international community is doing something. The US Embassy, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Singapore, France, and other countries and organizations including the United Nations have all sent assistance for the victims.
The physical and emotional pain that this tragedy brought upon these so many people is more real to me because I was there when it happened. But I hope those suffering find solace in compassionate gestures and in their faith in a bright future just like the couple who was asked what they would do now that they have lost everything. They said, "We're alive!"
Copyright © 2009 by DenniSinned2. All rights reserved.
Labels: cainta, flood, manila, marikina, metro manila, pag-asa, pasig, philippines, quezon city, relief, rizal, storm Ondoy
posted by dennisinned2 at 9/28/2009 03:15:00 PM
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