The Ondoy Experience

My sister @melsiebelsie just posted her experience with Ondoy here. And I kinda feel I had to share mine too since she already mentioned me in her post hehe!

Just a disclaimer, I may not remember the exact things happened since this was already 12 years ago. And I'm sort of sleepy now but I'll do my best to share with you what had happened to me during Ondoy.

Anyway, for introduction (and for your information as well) Typhoon Ondoy (International name: Ketsana) was one of the most devastating typhoon that hit in the Philippines in 2009.

I can't remember that my mother and I were arguing about me going to school. But yeah, I insisted going to school for a thesis together with my friend, Nasha. The rain that time was not that super strong, but it is continuous and with no winds.

I have to take note that I was wearing a shirt, leggings and a combat shoes just because I want to look "cool" in it while it's raining hahaha!

I went to our school (which is located in Manila. I really had to travel hours from our home in Marikina to get there.) to meet Nasha and do the thesis. However when I got there, they already suspended the classes. I saw Nasha and we decided to go home. I think that was already lunchtime-ish. I just lost track of the time.

Anyway, we did our best to go home and protect Nasha's laptop from the heavy rain because, you know, it's a laptop. Together with the initial copy of the thesis. We were drenched already. Mostly all of the students were having a hard time going home because there are less jeepneys passing by. I heard that some portions of Aurora Blvd are flooded deep that the jeeps cannot pass through already.

With luck, there was a jeep that endured the flooded Aurora Blvd. We got there together with other students who wants to go home already. We're all wet. Then the jeep managed to pass the heavy flooding of Aurora Blvd up until Gateway in Cubao. It took a while before we got there.

Then Nasha and I decided to take the LRT2 from Cubao to Santolan since we thought that the way going to Marikina is already not passable due to the Marikina River on high levels. When we got to Santolan Station, all people were flocking in the platform since seeing Marcos Highway is flooded already.

The flood was leg deep already when we got there. Nasha and I decided to walk in the flooded Marcos Highway all the way to Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall for the luck of having jeeps there going to Nasha's house in Antipolo. As we get near to Sta. Lucia, the water continuous to rise. Remember my outfit? Imagine me walking in flood in combat boots. You'll get what I felt that time.

I think after an hour we reached Sta. Lucia. However, the mall is closed. So people are outside in the cold. All wet. The guards was just taking commands from the management not to let us in. But after a while, they decided to open the mall since even the people who work there cannot go home too due to flooding.

Nasha and I decided to eat. We saw a stall that re-opened that sells hot soup. Then we ate there. It was comforting.

Then we looked for a place in the mall to settle in to. I think we were near the mall entrance at the ground floor, but not really close to the entrance itself.

Came nighttime, I can't remember exactly the sequence of the events happened while we were inside the mall. Since I don't have enough money that time, Nasha took care of the expenses. She bought us briefs (because panties are too small for us so we resorted to briefs.) from a nearby boutique who also reopened. We got to the CR with a long queue of people there. There was also a chaotic moment where the supermarket (that was in the lower ground floor) reopened even if the flood water are there. The store people managed to get through the items by putting chairs to step on the flooded supermarket. They were selling some food that are still decent to eat. Nasha bought us a pack of Lemon Square cupcakes to get through the night.

I remembered I didn't actually had a decent sleep back then. I just waited for morning so we can check if it is possible for us to get home. The water in the highway somewhat subsided. We saw some military trucks that fetches people so that they can get home. Nasha and I happen to see a surviving jeepney at a gasoline station, taking passengers going to Antipolo. I can't remember if the driver charged us with a fee. But it helped us get to Nasha's home.

Antipolo is a high place nearing the mountains that's why their place was not flooded.

I can't remember the exact days I spent there. But Nasha's parents were kind to let me in. I saw the news on TV that the way going to Marikina proper is still flooded and vehicles can't and was not allowed to pass through. So I had to wait.

I recalled that my mother texted me (can't remember if it's through Nasha's phone or in my phone that I borrowed from my parents) saying I need to go home immediately. Just seeing the news that time, I got angry and frustrated too telling them that I cannot go home as soon as they wanted because the roads are still flooded. I sent a very long message to them telling of the situation. I know they are worried sick but I have to explain that I can't go home ASAP. I told them I'm ok in Nasha's place.

After days, I went home. I saw the aftermath of the flood in the center proper of Marikina. All full of mud and smelled bad (smelled like dead rats but what I discovered is that there are still dead bodies that was washed by the flood. Clearing operations was still on going that time.). I got home and I saw our house somewhat cleaned because my parents and my sisters are still cleaning the house that time.

To make up with my time away from home, I took charge of the wet and muddied clothes in the laundry. I have to manually wash them because our washing machine back then was submerged in flood and cannot be fixed anymore. I think it took me a week to finish them all.

We were still lucky to be able to survive that. Imagine other people who had endured much more during that time.

Our city recovered after all of that. Our city has learned through that experience. They improved their disaster management after Ondoy. So whenever there is a strong typhoon that will hit Metro Manila, they look up to Marikina City.

Just recently, we had this Ondoy-like typhoon again by the name of Ulysses (International Name: Vamco) that hit Metro Manila last November 2020. It was more difficult because we have to deal with a typhoon, and a pandemic at the same time.

More and more recently, Metro Manila gets flooded easily. What could have been its cause? We all know the culprit. Clogged waterways, old drainage systems, and the amount of trash we leave due to improper waste disposal. If we can do a our part, even in small ways like proper disposal of our garbage, we could prevent this heavy flooding in the long run.

Share with me your Ondoy experience too in the comments.

Thank you for taking time reading not only this post but also my other articles as well. You may check them out in my page!

Until my next post!

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Lead image from Unsplash.