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Well, Monday was a non-working holiday because of the end of Ramadan. I could not savor anymore the rest it gave me because many of my fellowmen have not had any rest since Typhoon Ondoy's started pounding us Friday evening. I guess the rest of the week was uneventful.
ED and I were supposed to meet up to go home together. She said, however, she wanted to go home and I need to wait some more time before I can go home. I told her to go ahead. I am thankful I did because by the time I went home, rains started pouring. I had a hard time getting a ride and when I reached the bus station, it was raining hard and a lot of us commuters were struggling to get a ride. ED texted that she was home after some time. I saw an officemate and we managed to get inside a bus as people scrambled to get inside. Rains continuously fell with relief at some points. I managed to get home taking advantage of one such lull.
I had dinner, changed clothes, watched TV and went to sleep. I was happy and felt secured that all of us were home safe on a rainy Friday evening. I slept soundly in my room with windows shut to be roused briefly by torrential rains and winds shaking our sliding door.
The torrential rains continued to rage till the next day. It dawned on me that with
the wind, water would leak through the sliding door and seep onto my bedroom floor. By midday, damage to my floor was apparent as water leaked through the sliding door soaking my hardwood floor. Water is the worst nemesis of hardwood floors. My boy helper would soon be alternately moping the water from the bedroom floor and the tiled corrigor outside my bedroom. My other maid would also be moping the granite floor in our living room because of water dripping from the front oversized windows. My concern was the hardwood floor. This wasn't the first time it got soak in water. It will happened when rains and strong winds would pound on the sliding door. I would later mop the problematic floors in my bedroom and corridor while cleaning my bathroom on a stormy day. This was to be the chore for the rest of the day.
We managed to go to our usual anticipated mass inspite of the increment weather. There were few people in the church..... probably too lazy or too distressed from all the cleaning they had to do. We went home and had dinner.
I was in bed watching TV while the kids were doing their own thing on the laptop or pc. Then, I received a distress text message from a former co-professor asking to
be rescued. She and her family which include a 6-year old child and a 5-day old baby were trapped in the second floor of their home and floodwater was about to reach them. I jerked from the bed, got up, and called ED who was tuned to the news on her laptop and asked for emergency or rescue hotlines. I told her that my friend and her family were trapped. ED, MD, and I would huddle together in my bedroom as I realized how severe the effect of the typhoon was. I switched channels and there on TV were scenes of the devastation of the typhoon. I told ED to call my niece in QC and to call rescue for my friend on the landline. I started texting the rescue hotlines on my mobile as I continued to watch footages of the typhoon destruction. Getting through the numbers was a mean feat. We couldn't call the landlines and it took some time before the text messages went through. Shaken from the realization of the fate of people suffering from the typhoon, I slept through the night expecting the worst..... We were thinking that electricity might be cut. Fortunately, no such thing happened.
I woke up on Sunday with the skies clearing up which gave us some hope. I was praying for the rains to stop. We monitored the events on TV and the widespread devastation, the loss of lives, and the anguish of the typhoon victims were too much to bear..... I cringed at the sight. I had to stop watching as I couldn't bear to see anymore.........
The sun shone briefly to be disrupted by rains here and there. I received a call from MIL's friend inquiring about her. She was in BIL's home in Marikina. I assured her that they must be ok although we haven't heard from them because the lines appeared cut. They are in a hilly portion of Marikina so I assumed floods did not reach their place. Besides, if there was cause for panic, I am sure that they would have evacuated to our home. My SIL in the US was also calling because she can't get through to MIL in Marikina. We also couldn't get through their and my brother's phones which we had been calling since the night before. I called my friend V....... to ask how she was and was glad to know she's fine. Like me, she has yet to hear from some of her relatives in the affected areas.
I tried to make things normal in the household but it felt different. I managed to go out to buy some stuff for my dogs while hubby and the kids went to the supermarket to buy foodstuff for the week. I would pass by a portion of a subdivision submerged in high waters......... the road was covered in muck with garbage strewn all over. Doors of houses were opened. Some people were cleaning while some were just sitting and staring blankly probably too distressed from enduring a night wading in floodwaters. The few vehicles passing by made our way slowly through the muddy road. The sight made me feel uneasy...... How much more where waters engulfed an entire town or city, I thought to myself......
I went home after buying the pet stuff. On my way home, I texted my friend V....... who lives along the route I was trekking. She was in the mall buying stuff. When I was near my home she would call and she was driving in the area. We agreed to meet at my home. We had coffee and talked reflecting on how lucky we are not to suffer the fate of those in the affected areas. Like me, she was not aware of the widespread devastation brought by the typhoon until evening of Saturday. She went home after some time. Hubby and kids would arrive and we would have dinner shortly.
After cleaning up, we would all retire to our bedrooms. Announcements were made on the suspension of classes.......... so the kids can stay late. I went to my bedroom and looked at my hardwood floor now swollen....... surely damage was apparent. I thought to myself thank You for only damaging floors because I realized my family was spared from the wrath of Typhoon Ondoy. We slept soundly through the night while others never made it home.......... some others were probably awake all night stranded in their homes fearful for their lives........ some others were swept by raging floodwaters in their homes........
Damages in my home always put me in a bad mood.......... This time, I am thankful for the leaks in the windows and the damaged floors........ These are gentle reminders that there are far more important things in life I should be concerned about. It would probably take sometime before the leaky windows and damaged floors can be repaired. There are doors, cabinets, peeled paint that need fixing too.......... Then again, many lost their homes, belongings, their life ..... What is left are just shattered dreams, broken spirits, and lives that will never be the same again..... Thank God I only have damaged floors..........
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Related posts:
Typhoon Ondoy
Ondoy, You Fucking Asshole
Typhoon Ondoy: The Aftermath Photos
Metro Manila Flooding due to Typhoon Ondoy
Have You Tried Going to the Grocery after Typhoon Ondoy
About Damaged Hardwood Floors
The victims need to rebuild their lives. Please help till it hurts!
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