The wall clock reads 10:15am, I just woke up and was thinking of going back to bed as the constant rain makes it really inviting to go back to sleep. On second thought, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to write some articles while Nathan is still asleep. So up I went, checked out the fridge to find out what I could eat for brunch. I saw the box of Ferrero Rocher, grabbed 3 and munched away. Prior to snatching the laptop, I went ahead and took a peek of what’s happening outside. I was surprised to see that it has started to flood. It was actually the first time I saw our street flooded. Although there are some parts of the village that gets flooded whenever it rains continuously but we’ve never experienced flooding before. That’s actually the reason why the price of lots in our street is considerably higher than that of the other streets in the village because the said area is not prone to flooding. Anyway, going back to the story, upon seeing the flooded street outside, I no longer felt like going back to sleep. Nonetheless, I didn’t feel the need to be alarmed. So I sat beside my mom and the helper at the dining table to help them prepare the ingredients of what they’re supposed to cook for lunch.
I went out to the dirty kitchen to wash my hands and I was starting to feel concerned when I saw our backyard flooded for the first time. It just goes to say that instead of the water exiting our drainage it’s the other way around. It has nowhere else to go,thus, it’s starting to go up our drainage pipes. And since our house is elevated from the street, when I looked outside it’s already ankle deep. When I saw how fast the water is rising and that it is already close to getting inside the house, I then decided to wake up my husband from his peaceful slumber. He’s used to flooding since they used to live at the back of UST where it floods easily. I was telling him I’m concerned that the air conditioning unit inside our room (it’s just 2 feet above our floor) might get soaked up in flood water and I was urging him to take it off but he said that that is a faster way to let in water in the house and he said that the water wont go up that high. We went out to the backyard, used our small pails to get water and try to throw it at the vacant-lot-turned-swamp at the back of our house. When we realized it’s not doing anything we went inside the house. In a matter of minutes we found the water gushing forth inside the house. We were able to elevate some of the items laid out in the floor that would immediately get wet once the water sets in.
When the water was already up to my ankle inside the house, I became very concerned and told my husband that we have to leave. He refuses to do so and insisted that by afternoon it will subside and the house will already be flood-free. In fact, he was even watching cartoons with the little boy, quite unmindful of the water inside the house. My gut feel says otherwise. When I saw a man walking outside with his son sitting on his shoulders as they walk in the rains and with the water already almost at his chest, I told him it’s time to move. He obliged and carried the little boy. I grabbed an umbrella and we went to our friendliest and most accommodating neighbor even if it means going almost 25 meters away from our house. I felt the need to do so because the family residing at the left of our house has a 2 bedroom house, their garage has been converted to a computer shop thus, I’m thinking that they brought up all the pc’s at the other room. It will be hard to stay with them if there’s only one free room. The house across ours is huge, but they have a huge extended family as well, on top of that, they live beside their relatives who’s house do not have a 2nd floor as well. Thus it is safe to assume that their relatives are already there with them. The residents on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the 3storey 6-door apartment unit to the right of our house will of course accommodate the residents of the first floor units. So we opted to go to the family who owns the biggest and most popular sari-sari store in our street, owned by the lady whom everybody calls ate marj.
There was no hesitation on their part to open their doors to us. Hubby left me and my son there and by then Nathan was already crying uncontrollably. The water was almost up to my chest the time we went there. Hubby went back to the house. After a few minutes that seemed to stretch on for hours, our helper followed suit with all of my son’s essentials – milk, clothing, bottles, together with a handful of clothes for me and for her. My husband went back to the house to help my mom, elevate whatever appliances they can and to get things for us. It was excruciating to see the water level go up and wait for my husband and my mom and the 2 dogs. So I told my helper to stay with my son as I go home and pick up hubby and mom.
When I got back, the dogs are already whimpering. They were seated at the bottom of the double deck and the water is already up to their necks. I told them we need to get the dogs out. Hubby was hesitant thinking he had to carry our 40kilo Black Labrador. I would have none of it and told him he can let the dog swim and just try to steady its course by holding it. Pebbles swam right away when we gave them a go signal to leave the bed. All three of us, mom, hubby and I went out. Mom was right beside our mongrel dog and hubby was helping out our Labrador. Our kind neighbor did not object to it.
The minutes seemed to stretch forever as I wait for my mother and my husband. So I told my helper to look after my son and I will pick up my husband and my mother. I went down and the first floor already looked like a scene from the movie Titanic. So many things are floating inside the room. I went out and grabbed an empty 5gallon distilled water container as a floater since the current is strong and it is going against where I’m headed, plus by that time the water was already up to my chin while I’m on tip toes. It felt so surreal, as I try to swim to our house trying hard to calm myself to avoid having cramps. At home, I found my mom and husband calmly organizing things to prevent them from being wet. I told them to hurry up and then I told them to get the huge wash basins we have and put all the things we need there to keep it afloat on the way to ate marj’s house. We have a total of 3 huge basins, first one we brought is the one with the bag of clothes, blanket and the 2 laptops. Inside the house the water level was slightly below my chest. Hubby walked me back to ate marj’s house (good thing he’s 6ft tall). I went up and waited for them. I couldn’t sit still so I went down again, went out of the gate, with the floater and waited for them. By then it was already past 5pm and it’s starting to get dark. I was close to crying as I wait each excruciating minute without seeing my mom and my husband. No one was outside then and all doors seemed close. It is raining non-stop and power has been cut off, the rain is making it really hard for me to see through my glasses. When I finally saw something at a distance I called out and shouted to find out if it’s my husband, he yelled back and I just felt absolutely relieved. When he finally got to where I am, he has 2 huge wash basins filled with our things, covered by a huge plastic cover to prevent it from being wet. My relief ebbed when I saw my husband was alone ang knowing that he had to go back to pick up my mom and to lock the gate. I was praying non-stop while I went back inside the house to bring up our things and to immediately change since my son is wailing like there’s no tomorrow, turns out he is very much afraid and he is not comfortable. We were made to stay at a makeshift gazebo that serves as their kitchen on their terrace at the second floor. After some time, I felt completely relieved to see my husband and my mom.
Hubby helped out the men in the household in trying to salvage whatever they could from the first floor. While we tried to comfort my little boy. It was a blessing the 2 laptops were saved so we were able to temporarily quiet him as he watches his cartoons in the lappy. By dusk we were all settled in the gazebo, including the 2 dogs. They shared their food with us but we didn’t feel the need to eat, we were all devastated from what happened.
We stayed with them from Saturday afternoon till Monday morning when it finally dried up. Hubby hailed 2 cabs and off we went to my father’s place in Caloocan, where we stayed for a week.
Right now, the house is still in shambles but things are starting to normalize, despite the tedious task of still cleaning up. Even so, we are still grateful for God’s saving grace and divine provision.
