Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Please Help Typhoon Ondoy Victims

Last Saturday, September 26, 2009, the Philippines was struck by Typhoon Ondoy. I went out that morning with my husband to go to our son's school to attend a talk and get our son's report card. My husband hesitated to go out because of the non-stop rain but I insisted that we push through upon confirming from the school that the talk was still set that day. Heavy downpour made it difficult for my husband to drive. We were already on the very street where my son's school is located when we were forced to stop because of unexpected flooding in the area. Cars ahead of us were turning back. Upon closer inspection, hubby realized that the water was too high; we had no choice but to go back. I was silently blaming myself for going out in the first place but hubby didn't blame me. We decided to go to the nearby mall to have lunch and buy some groceries. Hubby dropped me off near the entrance. He was drenched when he got inside the mall. The umbrella wasn't much help in deterring the rain because of the strong wind and rain.

After eating a quick lunch and buying groceries, we decided to go home. I assumed we would be home within 30 minutes or so. We weren't prepared for what came next. Traffic was horrendous! Vehicles along Star Tollway came to a halt. We were forced to find alternative routes going home. Flooded areas hindered us from going home. It was scary because there were some places in town with raging flood waters. Some vehicles that rushed in the flood got stuck as engines stalled. My husband was more careful and decided to wait for flood waters to subside a little before heading on. What I thought was a 30-minute drive home stretched to a 3-hour journey.

When we finally reached home, I was thankful that there was no flood in our village. I was so anxious to go inside the house to see my son that I dropped my umbrella. A sharp part of the umbrella's interior sliced my left ring finger. It was a little deep but fortunately didn't require stitching.

As I applied first aid, my 6-year old son gave me a tight hug. He said that he watched the people in the flood on TV and was worried we were trapped like them. It was only at that moment that I realized how serious things were in Manila and other nearby towns. I was shocked when I saw people on the roofs and tremendously deep flood waters engulfing homes and vehicles. I realized that we were blessed because my family was safe and dry. We had a little difficulty going home but that didn't compare to the sufferings experienced by other people. I was moved to tears as I saw families with small children drenched and helpless on top of their roofs. I watched in horror as a group of people were helplessly swept by the strong currents. I couldn't believe how devastated many areas were. Some people even lost their lives during typhoon Ondoy's fury.

I found out that the 5 to 6-hour downpour was equivalent to one month of rain. Experts say that it is a result of a global climate change. It's a scary fact that stares us right on the face. It is only one of nature's many warnings to us.

The typhoon left a trail of destruction, pain and suffering to many of my countrymen. The typhoon left many homeless. A lot of families are now temporarily housed in evacuation centers like schools and gymnasiums. Help have poured in from the government, local and international private sectors but more people are in dire need of help. Please open your hearts and help in whatever way you can.


Source: www.youtube.com


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20 comments:

witsandnuts said...

Ouch for the finger cut. I'm glad your family is safe. Take care!

Heart of Rachel said...

@Witsandnuts:
Thank you. I'm sorry that your vacation was tainted by typhoon Ondoy but glad you and your family are safe.

renin said...

Its good news that you're all safe.

BTW, Globe subscribers may also give donations thru Red Cross by texting RED space amount and send to 2882.

Heart of Rachel said...

@Renin:
Thanks. I have updated my post to add Globe.

Charlotte (Life's a Charm!) said...

Events like this humbles us! Sometimes things just get out of our control and some people did get the worst!

My sister was trapped in her office for days because she couldn't come home to her flooded apartment. We are all grateful that she's safe.

Take care! Give Yohan an ext;ra hug for me...

Heart of Rachel said...

@Charlotte:
I'm glad to know that your sister is safe. People have not yet fully recovered and another storm is set to hit the country this weekend. It is reported to be a super typhoon. I hope and pray that storm pepeng weakens.

maver said...

Thanks for the RP, Rachel. Good to know that you're all safe. Couldn't help but notice Star Tollwy. Are you from Batangas? Tha Haligi hails from Batangas City. :)

Heart of Rachel said...

@Maver:
I'm from Sto. Tomas. I moved here when I got married.

Sidney said...

Glad to hear you and your family are safe and well... never saw so much rain in my whole life...

I am so sad for all the people who lost everything in the floods... lets help were we can !

Heart of Rachel said...

@Sidney:
Thank you. I'm grateful that we're all safe. I hope that it will never rain that hard again. Yes, every help is appreciated.

RennyBA said...

Your such a big hearted woman with a great and contributive post like this. All efforts helps!

I've been active in social media and Norwegians are collecting money to help through the Red Cross.

Heart of Rachel said...

@Renny:
Thank you very much. The Filipino people are grateful for the generosity and kindness of the Norwegians. God bless.

ibyang said...

hi rachel, i'm glad your typhoon of Ondoy is not as the others. i'm glad you and your family are safe and well.

hope Pepeng will have mercy on the Phils. God bless the Phils.

Heart of Rachel said...

@Ibyang:
The floods came so unexpectedly. It was scary watching what the other people went through that day. We're lucky that the flood didn't reach our area.

Kia said...

Ciao Rach, glad to hear you and your family are safe and well! Big hugs!!

Heart of Rachel said...

@Kia and Zeno:
Thank you very much. We are blessed.

dong ho said...

i hope that enough support will arrive and that areas affected by the flood will soon be recovered.

so sad to see some of our fellow filipinos suffering from this experience. i too have my own share of experience though hindi kami binaha pero nakatulong kami sa ibang bahay.

Heart of Rachel said...

@dong ho:
I also hope that more people open their hearts to help. Long term rehabilitation is needed to help our fellow countrymen. It's great that you were able to help your neighbors during the height of the storm. I'm sure they are grateful for all your help.

vk said...

we see in the tv news and read in the newspaper about what happenings there in phils.

our friends asked about there, if what they can do,too.

some gives their aids at the red cross n some who are accepting funds for the victims in phils.

Let us all join hands in prayer..............

THERE IS IMMENSE POWER WHEN MULTITUDES ARE IN PRAYER.

Heart of Rachel said...

@Vicki:
Thank you very much.

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