Ondoy

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!