Thank God, they are alive
I composed this post last week but wasn’t able to publish it because I had a hard time thinking of the right title. Holidays came and my blogging mojo went on holiday vacation too. So before this post will be forgotten, I am publishing it now.
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Friday last week (Dec. 16), it was gloomy. In the afternoon it rained. PAGASA issued a Storm Signal #1 in Davao del Sur while other parts of Mindanao is signal #2 including Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities.
Past midnight, we got a text message from my youngest sister telling us that she’s scared and it’s raining so hard in Cagayan de Oro City. I wasn’t able to reply. When we are about to sleep at past 1AM, Ace handed me his phone. Che2x is on the other end. When I said “hello” she was crying. My heart stopped. I was scared of what I am going to hear. I am sure something bad happened to them in CDO. She was crying saying that they were hit by the flood and the house (of our uncle where they are staying) is gone (at first I thought the house was washed out). I was terrified and I wasn’t aware that I am already talking loudly in panic mode. Flash flood due to typhoon Sendong (Washi) hit their area and glad they were able to evacuate to the nearby 2-storey house. She was able to bring few pieces of clothes since Daddy was quick to order evacuation when flood water started to enter the house. By the time they reached the gate, flood water is already neck deep and the current was too strong that they had a hard time walking through the water. She was wailing when she said “akala ko mamatay na ako” (I thought I would die!). I could imagine how scared she is. All I could say is “wag na umiyak. Importante buhay kayo.” (Don’t cry. What’s important is that you are all alive.) Donald called Daddy to ask what happened and how they are but Daddy cut the conversation short to save the battery of the cellphone. Because of the flood, power supply has been shut down and they need to save the cellphone’s battery so they may be able to communicate and ask for help should the flood water will continue to rise.
Thanks God and for Daddy’s quick mind and emergency preparedness skills. The three of them – Daddy, my sister, and BIL – were saved from the wrath of Sendong.
I had a hard time sleeping that dawn. I am speechless. Feels like I am floating. All I could utter in prayer is my gratefulness for sparing the lives of my family – Daddy, Che2x and BIL – from the flash flood. In the morning we learned how Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City was devastated leaving thousands homeless, hundreds dead and missing. Lots of fellow bloggers I know have been affected too but thanks God everybody in their respective families are alive. Some even climbed the roof of their house to save their lives from the raging flood in the middle of the night.
Che2x was able to bring a few pieces of clothes when they evacuated. Daddy left his phone and brought nothing to make sure sister and BIL will make it to the nearby house against the strong water current. The flash flood brought by Sendong left them with barely nothing. A day after, uncle with his driver arrived. Che2x and Nielson moved to his sister’s friend’s house. They will be staying there for the meantime while Daddy, uncle, and his driver were left in the house to clean the thick mud. It’s been a week now and they place wasn’t cleaned yet. Water supply hasn’t been restored. Hence, no potable water and available water to clean the house and the things that were soaked in mud.
My family might have been experiencing discomfort at this time. BUT we are really thankful that they are all alive!