Help Rebuild our Home

My family and I need support in rebuilding our house.

On the on set of Ulysses- no sleep the night before, power out early evening, monitoring thru transistor radio.

Then one by one reading post of neighbors saying flood has started to come into the street.

Roel, Bea and I tried moving their cars to higher ground. By early morning of Thursday, we started bringing things up to our 2nd floor. We had only 1 car left with us to do our exit. Roel went with Bea and Janine, but it was still too dark and the flood waters were rising- so they all went back to house.

Anxious, nervous- we all continued fixing our things.

Roel and i decided that he should bring the car out to higher ground- there want any flood waters outside the house yet. So Roel left.

After a few hours, around 7:45am- flood water entered the garden. It came in fast. Kids and I now started to look for a way to get to our neighbor’s roof.

During Ondoy back in 2009- it was the same roof we styed at during the floods. Deja vu! Its all happening again!

By 8:30am - my mom, Bea, Jammy, our house help Iris, Bing and her daughter Hannah, our 3 dogs- all back up in the roof.

By this time- Roel already got stranded in the village and not able to move forward with the car. He took shelter in a house being constructed with a 3rd floor together with a neighbor.

The owner of the roof and her family also stayed in the roof with us. 2 families, 14 people, 2 seniors, 1 toddler, 3 dogs. 5 hours of rain- everyone with umbrellas.

Water from the 2nd floor of the house started receding by noon- so everyone decided to go down the roof and back to their respective houses. Soon as we got down, Bgy. Jesus de la Peña, in a rescue boat, arrived! Mama, the kids and I joined. Our house help stayed behind (which was a good move).

Journey on boat on flood waters as high as 15ft., dodging electrical lines, jet ski even overtaken our boat- we reached the village entrance, which was all still flooded. Rode a ginormous amphibian vehicle. Lots of different uniformed men and women all around. We were brought to Barangka Elementary School. The school had more evacuees, there were a few of us who were rescues from Provident Village.

Bea and Janine- phone brigade. They found a spot outside the school to call and text friends, relatives, schoolmates, etc. Mama and I stayed in a hallway, separate from the others just to be safe from Covid-19. So tired by this time, feet wet, clothes still dripping, mama and i tried to power nap.

After a few hours- we met up with Cat and husband Ken and Alpo at the entrance of Sta. Clara Monastery. Thru the kindness of Ambulance volunteers- they brought us there to meet Cat.

We reached their home, tired, stinky- our adrenalines crashed already. Shower, Dinner, Sleep- finally.

Around 7:30pm- after being separated the whole day, I get a text message from Roel! He’s ok, rescued and was staying in Bgy. Tañong. I messaged my brother PE if he can fetch him there. Roel is safe!

To everyone who texted, messaged in soc med, tried to called- Thank You! Maraming Salamat po! Thank you tita Ging for taking all my messages and video (which someone said someone saw in Dzmm teleradyo hahaha), to Jay, to Kim and all my other cousins, to Bebeth and my other college friends, to Allen and peeps from work, to Priscilla, Tasmin- thank you!

Back to zero, rebuild again, think about how we move forward again. I just want to cry and say thank you! We will get thru this (again).