Typhoon "ONDOY" Second Anniversary, A Recollection - Second Part

Like birds, we found ourselves perched on the topmost portion of the apartment roof, wondering what would happen next as we congregated closer to each other, trying to find comfort and warmth from each other. Sizing up our plight, I found out that we managed to take a blanket and an umbrella for protection from the imminent rains as dark clouds started to hover from the sky. Looking around, there was water everywhere swirling around the roofs of single-storey houses, some of which could be seen some people grouping like us waiting for the flood waters to subside. As occasional mild rains commenced, we huddled together as time passed away with all of the group shivering from cold due to lack of sufficient protective, warm clothing,

At about 4:00 PM, the tots in the group started to cry due to the intense cold and pangs of hunger. Since no rescuers, government or otherwise, could be detected to manifest any presence at all, the knowledgeable and resourceful males in the group decided to plan our evacuation to a higher place. As there was no sign of the flood waters abating, most of us readily assented to the suggestion for our immediate transfer to the adjoining two-storey house. from which we would transfer to the next three-storey house. As the distance between the adjoining two-storey house and our apartment roof was barely three meters, a wood plank served as a bridge through a window of said house enabling us leave the roof where continuous stay would expose us to cold elements, shivering and hungry.  

The able-bodied young males in the group helped us, elderly ones in the group, gingerly tread the plank and reach the second floor of that house where more than a foot deep water was already swirling around. Inasmuch as the water on the second floor kept on rising quickly, our good neighbors prodded us to transfer immediately to the next three-storey house where we would be safe and more comfortable. As the water level was already knee-deep, without any second thought, the kids were placed in a make-shift hammock to be transferred one by one to the third floor via a one-inch thick cable wire, both ends slung securely on the balconies of the two houses.  

As my turn came, I clambered on the cable wire helped along by my neighbors while some twenty feet depth flood waters raged endlessly below. Majority of the group managed to transfer safely to the three-storey house as a few elected to remain on the roof due to some reasons we learned later on. The kindly owner of the house gave us some dry clothes to wear and some foods to eat while the night set in.