I never thought that I would experience a braving flood like the one we experienced with Ondoy.
I was very confident that our area is not affected by flood, but I thought wrong.
Last September 26, the same day of my husband's birthday. when this traumatic experience happened.
I was supposed to come home early from work, planning to drop-by Goldilocks to buy him a cake. But, before I could come out of the office, I've seen that there's no more passenger jeepney passing by. Knowing that this could be cause by flood, I waited until the rain subsides. Yet, it was starting to get dark and still there's no jeepney passing by. So, I, together with my other officemates began walking. And there began an unforgettable experience in my life.
When me and my officemates separated ways. I rode a tricycle hoping to reach our town. Yet on our way, the driver told us that we cannot pass the bridge because the flood was overflowing. So, I began walking again passing by those pitiful parents crying looking for their kids, or a man carrying a pig which seems to be his only treassure. As, I was walking through the flood and those house wreckage, my heart beats even faster, worrying for my kids, hoping and praying that they are safe. I tried calling everyone I know from our neighborhood, but I can't contact anyone. The people around me are saying that there's no way of getting through that more than six feet high flood. I try to ride a farm truck, but it also cannot pass through the flood, so we waited until it subsides a little more. Then, there was this big truck that we rode to the town proper of San Mateo. I thought I could already ride a tricycle to our house but our area is also flooded. So I began walking through the waist-high water which gets even higher when I reach our subdivision flooded up to neck. I was told that my kids have moved-out to a neighbor's house because our house was flooded.With the assistance of some men helping ladies to pass by the flood, I reach that house (where my kids stayed because our house is flooded) though soaked and wounded, I was very much relieved to see that my kids our safe.
When the flood is finally over, my daughter ask me, "Mama,are we going home now?".Then, I answered with a smile, "Yes Baby, we are going home. Thank God we are still together and we still have our house to come home to. There maybe a lot of cleaning to do and some furniture to fix, others to throw away. But thank HIM we are safe."
