More than a year has passed since my last post... Almost two years, in fact....
In the past year, the most unforgettable experience I have had was when my family survived Sendong (Typhoon Washi)...
December 16, 2011 was the day when my husband went to Iligan City to attend their Christmas party. So there were only four of us in our house: my kids, my house helper and I.
T'was around 11 pm when my husband called, informing me that they were already leaving Iligan City for Cagayan de Oro City. After talking with him on the cellphone, I heard some people, very agitated and talking in the street. I looked out through the window and saw several vehicles leaving the neighboring subdivision. I looked at the street from where the vehicles came from and I saw the fast-approaching water flowing through the road, using it as a channel. Within one minute of seeing the water coming rapidly towards our front yard, I saw it enter our house through the openings under our doors. I pulled three hard-bound one-inch thick books from an open bookshelf and went to our room to awaken my sleeping son. I put the books on the bed and got hold of the hand of my son and we went to my daughter's room.
My daughter who was awake at that time went to her room to awaken our helper. Both girls started putting my son's school bags and some books on the top deck of the double decked bed. When my son and I entered the room, I told them stop what they were doing and we all climbed and sat on the top deck of the bed.Not one of us thought of getting the laptops which we placed on a shelf under the table in the master's bedroom. We just sat there watching the water rapidly rising.
Within 5 minutes, the water became knee-deep. I thought the flood water would only be that deep, so we stayed sitting on the bed. We could hear cracking, creaking, banging, loud noises which we could not identify.Three minutes later the lights went out. I climbed down from the bed, waded the flood water and went out the bedroom to get the three rechargeable lamps we kept at the kitchen, dining area and in our bedroom.I lighted one lamp and saw our electric fan floating on the water. But I have to hurry because the kids are getting scared.
We stayed on the bed for another three minutes but as we watched the water rising, rising, and rising, I made the decision: we have to leave our post and climb up to the roof in order to be saved from the onslaught of the "rampaging" water. My daughter put the two lamps in her backpack since I was still holding the lighted one and we trooped to the back door and tried to open it. Luckily, the back door opened but the we could not open the screen door which is directly behind it. So we ran to the front door and I tried to open it but could not. The two girls removed the glass jalousies from our window, thinking that we will pass through the window to leave the house. Their fright made them forget that even if they remove all the jalousies, we still won't be able to pass through because of the iron grills. We were trapped.....
My helper had some insight and got the crow bar which we kept under the sink and gave it to me.. I tried to open the barrel bolt but still could not. So we raced back to the back door and I used and banged the crow bar several times against the wire mesh of the screen door. Luck prevailed, the wire mesh got torn and my son got a chair and we used it so that we can pass over the damaged door. I was the last one to leave the house and saw my daughter untying the leash from our dog's neck. We waded the flood water which is now about 75 cm deep. I got hold of a floating water container and a basin. I let my son took hold of the water container which aided him, as we walked towards the front yard, to the wall of our fence which will be our way to freedom......
We climbed the fence, stayed on the roof, prayed Our Father and Hail Marys and fight our fright, the cold wind and the rain. God was with us because 15 minutes later, several people (our neighbors living in a house located at the back of our house) also climbed their roof and there were two men who were helping them. So the four of us flocked towards them. With the aid of a door- which they brought with them- serving as a bridge, we went across a 2-m space to a two-story house where we stayed until morning,,,,,,
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