One Week Before Christmas Day

It was December 16, 2011. After the early dawn mass. I saw from the television screen flashed the words SIGNAL#2, Misamis Oriental among with other nearby parts in Mindanao. It was a surprise, that for the first time, Cagayan de Oro will be hit with a tropical storm. It was quite gloomy in the early morning. But never did anyone expected it to happen so fast.

7am: I was out to help Danie organizing a children’s party at Corpus. Sky was gloomy but a what seemed so normal rain-showers then occured in the mid-morning.

10am: I went home so sleepy. Not even a sign of a storm to hit CDO at this time.

1pm: Awaken by a heavy rain. It was the kind of a rain that seemed normal in the city. No one bothered about it.

4pm: Rain is still pouring. It stops a minute or two and then continuous pouring.

8pm: Total black out in the city. Rain still pouring hard. I went to bed early.

12mn: Flash flood in the city. Snakes everywhere. And then my phone rang. I was awakened by a phone call from Camille. Thank God it was just a dream. I noticed at this time the rain is harder than the usual.

1am: I couldn’t get back to sleep. The whooshing sound of the rain is freaking me out. Splashes of water is entering my room through my window, so i got up and covered it with my blanket. I knocked so hard on my parent’s bedroom to wake them up. My father checked the faucet and no water came. I don’t know but I felt so strange at that moment. Fear, i’m sure it’s fear.

“This isn’t signal#2, I wonder..” mom said.

“I’m afraid for people who are living near the water or in the highlands in this kind of rain…” I told my parents.

I went back to my room. Mom lighted the candle since electricity is still down. I forced myself to go back to sleep.

2am: I was kind of jittery and uneasy. I can’t withstand the strong wind and the sound of the rain. I went up and peeked in my window to check what’s happening outside. Except for darkness and the whooshing sound, I see vehicle lights in the streets. I’m also hearing siren sounds from afar. My cousin just arrived from work reporting to us that the new bridge can’t be crossed anymore by any vehicle because it’s been lashed by the ravaging water. He heard people shouting, screaming for help but they couldn’t see them nor help them. Hearing all these, my dream flashed back again. Danie texted, asking if we’re okay. It was kind of unusual. I wasn’t able to respond because my phone’s battery went empty. It’s when I’m sure something wrong is happening. It’s when I started to worry.

7am: I woke up, realized I have slept my worries. Still no electricity and no water at this time. Everyone in the compound was talking about what happened in some areas of the city. I decided to go to Rotunda to check how bad is bad and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I don’t have the heart to take pictures of what I saw. It’s just so heart-crushing. Houses in the middle of the road. Furniture, house appliances up in the trees. Animals dead or some pet survived. People bathe with mud, crying, screaming, searching for their lost belongings, for their missing loved ones. With my feet wet with mud, I didn’t decide to go farther. So I went back and headed to Tomas Saco street. I was appalled of what I saw. Dead bodies on the streets, filing one by one. And when I saw the end houses it was really devastated. My heart was pounding upon seeing this so I ran immediately to my friend’s place and checked her family. Thank God they’re okay, but their stories were really traumatic. 

I texted people about what happened, checking everyone if they’re okay. Some friends lost stuff, lost houses, and even lost loved ones. You see people in their most terrible state, you wanted to help each of them but you feel so helpless, so powerless. Everywhere you go, people are running, screaming, restless. You see dead people piled on the streets. Big trucks loaded with survivors or with dead people, from infants to oldies. Most of the establishments in the central area are closed. No water, no electricity. People are panic buying. The city is like of that post-war scene, feels like almost a ghost town. Everyone is talking about it.

I’m thanking God because my family and I are safe and the flash flood in our areas isn’t critical but I can’t help but worry for the victims. I was traumatized of what I witnessed, how much more the people who experienced all the struggles. The during and the aftermaths. One day heavy rain and almost 300 or more casualties over a thousand property damages. It was like one of those movies. It was like one those news. But with all these, it’s so overwhelming to see everyone is helping everyone. Cagayan de Oro will rise sooner than later with everyone hand in hand. After all, we are the City of golden friendship.