September 26, 2009. The name is “Ondoy.” I
know many Filipinos will never forget that name, even the day that it came to
our country. The day we experienced the storm that carry many lives away, the
flood that sweeps away homes, establishments, vehicles and whatever it passes along.
The ruins, the mud, and the shock, grief & misery it brought to the people
when it left. I have my own story too. We live near the creek-side, and I can
say that the most vulnerable when the flood comes are the houses,
establishments, and people living near creek and rivers.
The sight of our neighborhood after the “infamous
deluge” occurred was very depressing. But when I watched the news on television
and heard what had happened to other people, my thoughts was, “I’m still lucky
though.” Many people lost their valuable properties, their vehicles and even
their houses. But what most poignant is some lost their loved ones. They said
‘tis better to lose your things than to lose someone you loved. Materials things
can be replaced but not life. I can’t stand watching rescuers retrieve muddy
lifeless people. Some dead people are caught hanging on trees, which show how
high the flood is at that time.
After all the catastrophic tragedy that comes
up, help is on its way. Some schools, hospitals and even the Malacañang Palace
were used as evacuation center. Many Drop Off centers were opened for donations
of goods and cash. You can see that people are more than willing to help if
they can.
As I am tapping my keyboard, I see the
sun’s shining brightly, enough of more than 3 days of gloomy skies. Well, I
guess that’s life! After the big storm the sun will always shine to give you
another hope. Another day to look forward to and another day to moved on. Thanks
God I’m alive!
