As I looked up to the sky that day, I scratched my head and wondered, “Am I going to school today?” but somehow, I had this feeling that I shouldn’t go to school. Although it was a Saturday, I have my 3danim2 class that day which would have been session #2 for the term since the second trimester had just begun barely for 2 weeks.
Kuya went to Malabon to pick up a cousin and her friend since they have this appointment for some “testing” in UP. Ate left earlier with another friend, Ate Nobuko.
My parents left early this morning to fetch my uncle from the airport as well as drop mom off to a friend’s house since they were to attend the wedding of another friend (confusing?). Because of the increasingly severe weather, they just picked my uncle up, dropped him off somewhere to ride a bus to Laguna and went back home.
Later, Dad switched the channel to DZMM Teleradyo on TV to see what’s the latest on the typhoon Ondoy which is about to hit Metro Manila. There are ongoing reports of flashfloods hitting low-lying areas like my hometown of Valenzuela, and landslides occurring over at higher-ground (i.e. Rizal).
Not much news yet online when I checked, Inquirer.Net was a bit slow with their live updates while ABS-CBN News Online was down. I found most reliable some social networking sites like Facebook, Plurk and Twitter. I read status updates of friends complaining of rising floods in their areas, friends stranded in CSB because of flooding over at Taft Avenue rising at an alarming rate (read: a parked car near Estrada Street is seen almost submerged under water).
In our case, the situation is nothing but new. For the past months since the start of the rainy season, we had seen countless floods that had ravaged our place many times over that we felt that this time wouldn’t be different. I guess we were mistaken.
Twitter was going haywire with updates coming from people ranging from things about commuters getting stranded in EDSA to rising floodwaters creeping up to previously non-flood prone areas like Antipolo, Alabang, and certain areas in Quezon City (i.e. Katipunan). There were even some tweets coming from my fellow Valenzuelans about high levels of floods along McArthur Highway especially at the city’s boundary area near Tullahan Bridge. Some were tweeting about ravaging currents coming from the river and floodwaters rising as high as “above-head” levels.
Then news struck when it seems like Kuya and his companion immediately tried getting home but can’t do so because of a traffic gridlock in Balintawak near the North Luzon Expressway. Ate on the other hand got lost somewhere in QC. At home, we learned she and Ate Nobs went to Commonwealth and sought shelter to a family friend’s house in a nearby subdivision.
Mom felt the need to stock up on water just in case something bad will happen. I did my part tweeting ABS-CBN News’s twitter account concerning on updates of when will Meralco cut off electricity here in Camanava.
Most of the stations in the FM band have either gone on playing continuous music or went off air but one did something different. Jam 88.3 went on emergency broadcast that day to help relay information to and from people affected by Typhoon Ondoy. It was from Jam when I learned that the Angat Dam will be releasing water because its water level is reaching a critical point. Although nothing was made clear how much water they’ll be releasing.
Around 8 in the evening, Meralco had finally cut-off electricity in our area, right at a time when the torrential rains had stopped. I used my cellphone’s radio to listen to Jam’s broadcast while I was cleaning the dishes by candlelight. I even took the time of closing the windows, unaware of something much unexpected.
Later, me and the rest of my family were upstairs. I was still tuned in to Jam, while my parents try to reach Kuya on his whereabouts (He eventually ended up staying with our relatives in Malabon). Jorge meanwhile was sleeping in his room. Not only was our electricity got cut-off, so was our phone line which went dead as soon as my mom finished talking with my ninang calling all the way from the United States.
It just so happens that my dad wanted to check the situation outside and see how far the flooding went. Since it dark outside, it was kinda hard to tell. We thought the flooding stayed put on the third story of the stairway outside the house, at least in a level a few inches above the knee if you go outside (a few years ago, we had our place renovated to make it at least several meters higher for floodwaters not to reach inside our house).
Much to our surprise, we were horrified to see that floodwaters DID REACH our house! It was all sudden! Minutes ago, I was done washing plates and silverware with much of the ground floor still dry. Fast forward, there’s water filling up the first floor reaching up until slightly above knee-level. The water destroyed everything in its path: books, slippers, newspapers from the living room on until the kitchen. Even our washing machine and our refrigerator weren’t spared by the damage.
We did everything we could to salvage some tuff for the night, including the fridge where we had it placed on a wooden center table, lying at the side. That’s when I realized that this didn’t come from the rain that hit us earlier but was from the dam. We didn’t expect that they’ll be releasing that much water, I’m guessing they let off some 2-3 foot. Naturally, the released water would drain out in the several tributaries leading to Manila Bay but once a river overflows, several areas of land will be submerged.
As mentioned earlier, it’s no longer a surprise for most of us to see our being hit by floods many so often but never did we anticipate the that flooding (partially caused by the dam’s release) would hit in the highest level we’ve experience so far in almost a decade.
Yes, the last time I’ve seen that much water was from nearly ten years ago when at least 2 typhoons (“Edong” and “Ditang”) kinda merged into one big superstorm and unleashed hell to everywhere in sight. Ironically, the dam’s release had existing floodwaters in our area reach almost the same level as the one from 2000.
Although not much news about the dam’s release were reported on Jam, I kinda figured that we’re a bit fortunate for I cannot contain my shock on hearing news of people stuck in their homes stranded in a sea of floodwaters, of people trying to wrestle the darkness of the night on the rooftops, people calling and texting for help via Jam. Two of the DJ’s on-board, Lambert and RockEd Radio’s Gang, were on the air nonstop helping people as much as they could by relaying messages from those living and/or are in affected areas to those with access to the national government, NGO’s and the Philippine Red Cross . Some listeners cited critical areas, particular those along the Rizal-Eastern Metro Manila area (Rizal Province, Pasig, and Marikina). Among notable worst-hit areas are Green Park, Brookside, Vista Verde and Provident Village.
The power of technology proved to be of much help as well. Filipinos with Facebook and Twitter accounts relayed important information like emergency hotline numbers of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the Red Cross, and many other organizations and agencies. Lambert and co. also received word about some private citizens with access to speedboats, etc gathering near Greenhills Shopping Plaza to devise a rescue plan in the eastern front. Right before the power was cut-off, I also got news of my school giving shelter to students stranded because of high flooding in the area. I relayed that info to Jam’s textline which was fortunately read out by Lambert (woohoo fellow Benildean).
Even in the later hours, the people of Jam 88.3 were on a roll providing company to those with access to only FM radio. Obviously, it was no easy job but who would even care? At this time of dire need, it’s people like Gang and Lambert who gave people hope to live another day and survive this dark chapter of their lives. Lives are at stake here so there seems no other way but to do what is necessary to give out as much help as possible.
I have heard of different stories of tragic loss, and heroic victory during the wrath of Ondoy. It proves one thing about us, Filipinos: Hopeful, always in high spirits, and never the type to give up. There may be challenges that threaten us along the way, but as a nation unified by the spirit of “bayanihan”, we know that we can make it through.
As the floodwater subsides and things slowly return to normal, let us rebuild our lives learning from the lessons of loss, heroism and unity.
Written September 28, 2009
