Wrath of Habagat
 |
| Relentless monsoon rains brought flood to Metro Manila and it's neighboring provinces |
Some of my workmates chose (decided) to stay at the office that night, kasi hassle lang din umuwi, siguradong ma-traffic dahil sa baha. I went to bed with hopes that the rain stops soon and even planned to go to work early.
I woke up at quarter past 5 (normally, I would wake up at 7), fearing that the rain hasn't stopped pouring all night, I peeped through the window to see if the streets had been flooded (memories of Ondoy will forever haunt me, I guess).
I went downstairs when I thought of my sneakers and umbrella left outside the main door, and to get a closer look at the surroundings, too. Surprisingly, the street where we live is flood-free, unlike yung mga natirhan ko na dati, pag ganun katagal na pag-ulan, baha na.
When I went back in, the househelp just opened the TV for news. And I was right, as of 5:30am lubog na sa baha ang ilang lugar sa Manila, and the nearby cities and even the provinces outside the metro. Schools in all levels were already suspended; even the government suspended work for the day. I was going to groom for work, but then I thought, the government already cancelled work, it seems that the situation isn't getting better, streets in Makati started to get flooded as early as 8pm last night, and Taft, parang di ko na kelangan ng TV or Twitter para sa update- in short, san ako dadaan papuntang Makati?
I decided to go back to bed, hoping that anytime, I would receive a message from my manager or co-workers informing me that work for the day has been suspended. On the other hand, my roommate, who's office is located just a couple of streets away from mine, did prepare to go to work. But before she can even change into her work clothes, someone called her, must be her boss, and after a while, I felt her creep back to her bed. Man, this is definitely serious. She rarely (as in rare talaga) gets absent or anything.
I went back to sleep; woke up at half past nine. Went online to check if any of my officemates are online. Then my manager must've seen I've gone online and asked how was the situation in our area. I simply told her there's no flooding in our place (didn't muster the courage to tell her I'm not coming in for work because I filed for 5 days vacation leave for August). Then she said I don't need to report for work because the streets in Makati are already flooded. Nakahinga ako ng maluwag. Few hours later, Malacanang announced an executive order suspending work in the private sector in the metro. Di ko sure kung ginawa nila to nung Ondoy. Malala na talaga 'to, naisip ko.
Nagtitingin ng updates sa Facebook at Twitter, andaming humihingi ng tulong. Laking tulong ng Twitter dahil mabilis ang updates, hindi magkanda-ugaga ang mga celebrities na nagre-retweet ng mga nagpaparescue. Trapped bubong, may kasamang bata, baha abot na sa second floor, walang makain, giniginaw, at kung ano-ano pang makadurog-pusong sitwasyon. Ilang beses na 'tong nangyari, parang paulit-ulit na lang.
Oh well, on a lighter note, ramdam din naman ang dami ng mga nagbigay ng tulong, mula sa pagco-coordinate sa mga nagpaparescue, hanggang sa pagbibigay ng lutong pagkain, canned goods, damit, etc. Nangyari na eh, tulungan na lang makabangon ang mga nasalanta. Pinoy spirit. Bayanihan. Pero mas okay sana kung handa na lang lagi sa kalamidad para walang casualties.
I read an update saying that the accumulated rainfall today (as of 4pm) is 472mm in 22 hours, which has surpassed Ondoy's rainfall, 455mm in 24 hours. Partida, hindi pa ito bagyo, ni wala nga tayong tawag sa kalamidad na 'to.
It's already 5pm and it's still raining. While I am safe and dry and semi-comfy in my bed, many out there are struggling to survive this another catastrophe. Isa pa, lumindol sa Mindoro bandang ala una ng hapon. God bless the Philippines.
To send help:
#ReliefPH.com
Photos and updates:
Noah DOST
Rappler
BBC
