My letter to my siblings 5 days after the onslaught of the storm "Ondoy"

I am posting this email of mine to my siblings to keep a record of what happened during the onslaught of Ondoy and its effect on my family. The storm struck Northern Luzon on September 26 & 27, 2009

"Hi All!

Sorry for not being able to email you right away about our situation here in Bulacan. Although, I texted Manang Bebe and Lory last Sunday that we were relatively OK; and Kit, we chat for a long time yesterday.

The rains came again in the morning of Saturday. Actually, it already rained whole night of Friday and in the early morning of Saturday, our subdivision was already like a big lake with water rushing down the streets because the yards were simply saturated as a result of the whole-night-downpour.

Because there was no clear warning that there would be floodings all over the place, I decided to go to the university because I needed to get some things from my office to read during the weekend. I usually do not go to the university on Saturdays except when I teach an MBA course (which at this time, was not the case). .

After lunch, I left for home. It was again raining that time. Actually, I learned much later that the storm hit land about 11AM that day. it was not the winds that caused alarm this time; it was the continuous heavy rain. I was also told much later that the MBA classes were suspended in the afternoon because the warning from the government agency had already come. At that time, except for the high water on the streets, nothing was extra-abnormal.

PAG-ASA says that the rain that came for 9 hours was more than the rain-supply for an entire month (like September) and that the rain volume was more than the one brought by Katrina.

When I put-on the TV about 3-4PM, we learned that flooding was over a wide area of land - the entire Metro Manila and some of the neighboring provinces. Then power went out. We started getting worried. Ruth and I went to the supermarket (about 15 mins away from the house) to buy batteries for our flashlights and radio, candles and canned goods (just to make sure that we have what we would need in case the situation got worse, which actually happened).

The internet was out and most of the time later, it was not accessible. We saw on TV that some towns in MM were badly hit especially Marikina and Cainta (where Nonon and Boots stayed before). When the power was out, we relied on our radio for news. I started to worry also about Evette, Chaq and Ilya-and-Tan because this was a Saturday and we usually gather together on Saturday nights to have a special family dinner. I contacted them by mobile phone.

I told Chaq to just stay in the office if the situation got worse; I told Evette who was on the way going home taking the road leading to Katipunan that the flood water in the Ateneo (Katipunan) area was about 2 meter high. She turned back after also seeing other vehicles turn back and from the far horizon, also seeing some people wading with only their head being visible. She told me she prayed hard for God to help her. While in Cubao, she saw a car that was familiar to her, so she called a senior-doctor-colleague what the plate number of her car was. And of all things, it was the car of her colleague. So she said that she was in the vehicle immediately to her friend's rear. Wow! God answers prayer in His time. Her senior colleague told her to just follow her car and spend the time in their house until the problem dissipates. That was also my suggestion to her, to find a friend/colleague where she could spend the night in her house.

The three siblings contacted each other from time to time. Evette even suggested to Chaq to just join her in her friend's house (her friend also suggested to her to inform Chaq to join Evette). But, I can understand why Chaq wanted to come home that night. Jehan and David were waiting for him; and Jehan is on the family way now.

I also monitored Ilya. She was already travelling but the waters on the road network and NLEX were already fast rising. They decided to turn back and return to their apartment in Novaliches. That was a wise decision. I also told them, it was good that they turned back. Many cars got stalled in the "high water" and which caused massive traffic jams. Ilya told me by phone of another decision they made which to them and to me, saved their vehicle. I will not talk about it because it will make the story much longer.

Chaq's situation was different. He decided to come home after working in the clinic (where he works; near Manila Hotel) at 230. He was the only one without a vehicle as he commutes by bus daily to work. When he arrived at the Victory Liner Terminal at Kalookan, people were already queuing for the bus that would leave for the North (Bataan, Zambales, etc). So, he joined the queue without eating lunch and merienda. He could not leave the pila to eat because he did not like people to say that since he left, he forfeited his place. So, he stayed in the queue.

The bus management informed the public that there were no drivers for the bus parked in the terminal and so they had to wait for a bus coming from the province. A bus from the North arrived and the people who were not in the queue and those who were in the tail-end of the line, got into the bus first. So, he got into the bus when all the seats were taken and had to stand at one of the doorway (estribo). he texted me that the bus left the terminal at 10PM and that he was standing. He was very mad at the bus management and guards, who did not lift a finger while the people scrambled like crazy to get seats in the arriving bus.

He asked me to fetch him at the "labasan" near our place when the bus arrives there. Up to midnight, the bus had not arrived. And so I told him by text that I was going to sleep in the meantime because I was very sleepy. But from time to time, I would check my CP if he had already texted. Each time, I texted he would say that he was somewhere at the NLEX but that the waters were high and the traffic jam was bad.

I had scarcely slept when he texted me sometime 530 AM that they were still at the Bocaue portion of the NLEX. Later on, at about 7AM, he said that the bus has moved to the MacArthur Provincial Highway coz the passengers had egged the driver to go there instead of waiting for improvement of the situation at NLEX. At the provincial highway, the situation was the same. The place was flooded.

I texted him through the night if it was possible for me to meet him somewhere. But it was a good thing that he did not accede to my suggestion because some portions of the NLEX and the provincial road were simply unpassable. Vehicles were unnecessarily stuck in the highways because of the attempts to fetch their loved ones. At about 8AM, he asked that I meet him at Balagtas. He would just walk from Bocaue to Balagtas. So, along with Ruth we went to meet him with some sandwiches and coffee in hand. We could not proceed to Balagtas because of the high waters and the traffic jam. We reached only about a kilometer from the Guiguinto-Balagtas boundary.

I texted him to just walk or take a jeepney or truck-ride up to the point where Ruth and I were. The local government units at this time had already fielded trucks to service the people in places where the water was high. I walked to the area near the boundary but could not proceed farther because that part of the highway was flooded. We were very much relieved when I saw on the rearview mirror the form of a man from a far distance who was like Chaq's. Siya nga! He told us, he had no sleep and food (his last meal was breakfast of Saturday); and he walked through part of 3 towns just to be able to meet up with us. It was a great relief for me. He did not eat lunch because he was the only doctor who came to work and all "patients" had to be seen before the end of work hours.

The damage caused by the storm and floods are beyond precedence. This is the first time that we have seen this type of nature's wrath. Makalolooy kaayo ang mga biktima; makahilak ko nga makita sa ilang na-agi-an. Gamay ra kaayo ang among kalisud ikompara sa ubang mga tawo. As of now, 246 have been declard dead and about 50 more are considered missing. The water has not entered our house. But the yards were filled with water at the height of the storm and rains.

This has been a long story. I just wanted to share with you our story and to assure you that we are relatively OK.

I do not have the email addresses of most of my nephews and nieces. So, be the ones to forward to them to inform them of our story here in Bulacan.

Love to all.

Loloy"