That Saturday, arrived at the office and I chanced upon a news feed... storm in Manila, streets flooded a bit more extreme than usual. I sms'd my mom and just asked how they were, in general, and just put in at the end that I heard another storm was up and about. My mom answers that yes there was and that our street was already flooded and water had already gotten inside the house - in her usual frantic-toned text (can't explain it, just that I know when my mom exudes panic on something as emotionless as an sms). Got a little bit more worried but then my mom does exaggerate sometimes so I casually replied asking had she meant it had gotten inside and up the garage already. My mom says no - it's inside the house already.
Panic! Next few hours since, I just kept trying and trying to call our house in Marikina City. No joy! My only thought was to try and give instructions on what they could do - ie turn off the mains/breakers, instruct them all to just stay at the second floor and such - sms was barely working. I tried calling my sister who was also stranded in Makati City by the floods. We both were trying to contact Marikina but voice calls were just impossible. Eventually, they turned off the electricity and my parents and two helpers settled up on the second floor for the night. My parents saw neighbors having to leave their homes. I kept praying that the rains stop soon otherwise, they'd have to start considering leaving our home as well.
The flood got up shoulder height inside our house before the rain stopped that Sunday morning and the water started receding. Our refrigerator toppled over including the washing machine. and TV. Everything inside and outside the house was covered in mud...thick thick mud. Hearing and seeing all the photos and updates that had circulated that time - we were just blessed and thankful that that was the extent of it for us. It could've been much much worse. Our families in other cities - Makati, Cavite, Pasig were also hit somehow but nothing that couldn't be fixed given time.
Growing up in Marikina, floods were plainly normal...and regular. I remember as a kid I'd seen black-top (asphalt) roads of Champagnat St. Marikina Heights lifted and thrown to the sides by floods and rains, as if they were carpet rugs. The house I grew up in had parquet flooring. I dreaded everytime the floods would come - not because I was afraid of the flood per se - but because I knew the pain-in-the-a** job I had after the flood had long gone, rugby back into place the flooring. After a few years, my parents decided we'd had enough of getting flooded and so we raised our flooring by about a foot and that flooring level held for a long time - storm after storm. After a few years, I had even raised the floor level further a few more feet when the new house had been built. So, much like every Marikeño, I had learned how to deal with the threat of floods from childhood. How to plan for in case it was a little more than expected, how to lessen the damage, and how to just simply 'be' around floods - how to drive around floods, how to wade around floods, things like that. Ondoy was humbling. I wanted to spare my parents the strain and aggravation we all felt when I was a kid during rainy season but all the planning and preparation was for naught. When nature wants to be heard, she gets heard.
To all our friends and families, thank you to all who helped out including those who tried and offered to contact my family for us. Those who offered and helped out after the storm, we deeply appreciate it. We pray that everybody continues to be safe and that everyone recovers quickly enough. When things settle down again, let's not forget and dismiss it as a fluke... make time to make new and better plans.
