Here’s a photo essay of what happened to our family during the rage of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana). The above picture was taken last Saturday, September 26 at 10:19AM. The flood water covered the street but we were confident that it was to subside in no time, like it always does. We were not even anticipating that it will climb up our already elevated garage.
At 1:03 PM. Jeff walking towards our pedestrian gate. Flood waters not quite touching our doorstep just yet. This sight alone was a shock to all of us. We’ve been living here since 1980 and nothing like this has ever happened before. Just for us to know hours later that we haven’t seen anything yet.
Typhoon Ketsana, locally called Ondoy, has brought record rainfall in Metro Manila, producing hours of extreme heavy rains, the volume of which exceeded that of Hurricane Katrina, which led to this tragic flooding. The rainfall that we usually receive in one month was brought by Typhoon Ondoy in six hours.
At 9:43 PM
At 6:01 AM, the following day, September 27 — the view from our neighbor’s second floor. The flood line indicates that it has subsided at least a foot long since the hard rains stopped.
Still chest deep at 6:23 AM
This was the sight that welcomed Jeff when he went to check the house at 8:33 AM. The right corner is my son’s school office. His paces all over the muddy floor. 🙁 My husband is sweet enough to not have me endure the sight of the house. He took initiative in supervising Mariet, my trusty weekend helper, who has been reporting for work everyday since, to help do the cleaning up.
Our son’s bedroom. Nothing of what we placed on his bed and attempted to be saved from the flood waters was spared. The bed was totally soaked and when a trike driver asked for it, we readily just gave it away. The bed box went to my helper, Mariet. She said she can still use it. I’m glad enough that these things will still be usable to other people. I’m really concerned about the volume of trash that will be caused by this disaster.
My kitchen where the washer is. We did not know until Tuesday night, three days after the storm, when the electricity came back up that it is dead. Unlike the fridge that dear husband was able to lift singlehandedly and placed to sit on the four dining chairs, the washer isn’t anymore. 🙁 I was praying through and through that it will work because I knew there were tons of wet clothes to wash.
To say that what happened was devastating is actually an understatement. Losing material possessions isn’t that big of an issue than that of the trauma it brought us. The washer, the car, the beds, the consoles and all the furniture that deemed unusable, we knew God can easily replace, if He wants to.
The thing that struck me through and through is God being true to His word that He will be our peace in the midst of uncertainty. We are all thankful enough that we are all together and survived the flood. 🙂
