Unbelievable

I just had to repost this.

I was blog-hopping when I stumbled upon this. This is all over the Web. What can I say? I’m dumbfounded. Everybody’s outraged. Just curious. What could be his explanation for this? We see the obvious.

Photo taken the same time our streets became rivers.

Here’s the link:

http://saabmagalona.tumblr.com/post/198297563/neekol-i-got-this-from-twitter-my-friend-got

One Mighty Typhoon

Where were you last Saturday?

I’m sure we all have our stories. This is mine.

Aoi drove me to work at around 10 am. When we got near the office, the street was already flooded. I decided to just take the shuttle service.  After a few minutes of waiting, there was already water in the sidewalk. The inches-deep water before was now near the door level of the car. This happened in just minutes. No choice but to head back home. Traffic was already building around NAIA at this point. I honestly thought we wouldn’t make it to the U-turn slot because the water was rising so fast.

After lunch, we took the other car and drove back to Manila because Aoi needed to finish something in the office. Friends were texting already. Floods are waist-deep in some parts of Parañaque. So we went straight to the Mall of Asia instead.  Wow, I have never seen a mall that empty on a Saturday afternoon. The plan was to eat there, buy food, and stay there for as long as we can till the floods in Bacoor subside. We did the eating and grocery-shopping part, but MOA closed at 6 pm. Most shops were closed by that time anyway.

So we loaded up on gas and started the long journey home. And when I say long, I mean LONG—9 hours long, with traffic moving a few inches every so often. There are hours when we weren’t moving at all.

What did we do? We turned off the engine and slept alternately. We talked, ate, slept—in that cycle. We kept texting everybody till the signal was gone. It was one hell of a road trip. That’s what I call bonding, typhoon “Ondoy” style. It was so surreal, the silence. One giant parking lot. People asleep in their vehicles. People were walking the length of the coastal road just to get home. Once in a while, we tuned in to AM to hear the news of devastation. It was THAT bad. All bad news. People already in the roof of their two-story houses! People who are sick, hungry, thirsty, all calling for help. There was a call for more rubber boats—even jet skis. No one was spared—the rich and the poor alike. Aoi’s family in Valenzuela was already in the second floor of their house.

We finally got home at past 3 in the morning. We were restless. We kept texting and calling Aoi’s parents till we were sure they’re okay. They are.

Despite being stranded for that long, we considered ourselves lucky. I’m so thankful my husband was with me that night. Thank you, God! My mom is safe. Aoi’s family is safe. My dogs are safe. My friends are safe [though there are a few who I still couldn’t reach; signal is down in some areas still apparently].

Was glued to the TV and Internet the whole Sunday. The stories and photos are heartbreaking. My mom and I sorted clothes for donation. We want to help in our own little way. I hope that those who can and are able will help. Please let donations pour in.