Hours before, I can still be able to go outside and check the extent of the flood. If you noticed at the background, there are cars which they are trying to put in a safer area. After so many years living in this area, we never had experience flood, except outside. Little did I know that after 2 hours, my own car was also submerged in water and there’s nothing more I can do.
At Ondoys wake, the whole Marikina is submerged in water---murky, muddy, rancid and stale. It was happening too fast. So, we gather all things we can carry upstairs. One of our neighbors went outside to help us. At that time, the flood is only up to her waist on a tiptoe. I wasn’t able to take pictures anymore. I would say I was in state of shock. We cannot save all our things. It was just too painful to see things floating around (also the appliances and OMG... my paintings too). Some of the things we tried to save in the stairs float too.
Some of my friends, relatives and the community we live in are suffered too. Some stayed at their roofs.
Watching the flood outside, I can see cars with lights on, clothes, framed pictures, refs, tvs, etc. I just wished I could get it for them but the current is too strong for me. We were trapped. We cannot even open the doors downstairs. I am so hopeless. When we woke up, there’s no flood anymore inside, only full of mud. I went outside to look for food. There is no food available for sale. It was like a nightmare. I was walking in the mud and saw cars turned upside down, sacks of rice all wet. All establishments closed, no telephone, cables or signals. We eat at our terrace for days (glad we have sardines)
Though my family and I are safe and dry, does not give me guarantee to sleep soundly at night. I was informed that hundreds of people died and thousand of families have been forced out of their homes because of flooding by typhoon “Ondoy” and they are all at the evacuation center located just one block away from us. So, I found myself volunteering in the repacking of goods done at Brgy Malanday Office.
My aunt, Sr Sonia has also many packed goods donated by her friends and kind souls from everywhere. Together with my fellow officers of our village association, we were able to distribute packed food to the victims residing in Tumana (the part in Marikina which is greatly affected ) aside from Provident Village.
Right now, we are still cleaning the house and I hope school will open next week because some schools were used as evacuation centers. Even the Kindergarten room of my daughter Jali is submerged in water and all their things are totally washed out. Meanwhile,We still have tons and tons of garbage but we're trying to do something about it. MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, on the other hand is busy into his Cleaning Drive.
Two weeks has passed but we are still continuously experiencing disaster brought by typhoon in different parts of the country. There's also this terrible outbreak of leptospirosis. Many people died particularly in Malanday & Tumana, Marikina area. With all the tragedies brought about by Ondoy It may take time for many to recover from the onslaught of Ondoy specially in Marikina These past few days, I saw the best in us. I realized that the worst kind of tragedy is also the time when we see good come out of people.
