I have been meaning to write about the horror that we went through last January when our place was hit by the flood that also hit all of CDO. It was really that bad that the whole city and neighboring areas were declared as Calamity areas.
This was the 2nd time for the city to be hit by the flood on the same month The first one was during the 1st week of January, right after the New Year celebration which also left a lot of damage. The city was still reeling from the 1st experience and in fact, relief operations and gift- giving was still on-going for the victims of the flood in Macasandig area when the 2nd one hit the city. This time it hit the part of the city where I live.
The rain had been pouring in as early as 3 days before the fatal day, but it was not that strong. I believe nobody really paid that much attention because the it was just like any other rain. There was really no pronouncement of typhoon from PAG ASA. On the 3rd day however, I got a text from my Mom not to come home. I have just finished my shift (night shift to be exact ) so naturally I was excited to go home and sleep. I had to call her up to ask for the real score. She said that the bridge in Calaanan has been damaged and was not passable. The water level was also very high. I got worried, so I stayed at the office and slept at my station.
I decided to go home at around 3pm to refresh myself as I was still going to be back in the office during the evening for another shift. I was hoping that the water flow has abated. Upon passing by the Carmen bridge which was also flooded two weeks before, the water level was not that alarming so I kind of felt “okay”.
On the way home though, I felt a frizzon of fear when I passed by the area near Silver Creek subdivision. The subdivision itself was not flooded because the land there is kind of sloping. Just outside that place though, there is a small creek with people living on the creek bank. I saw how the water current was and it was really frightening. The water level was high and there were houses that have been damaged. People were milling around everywhere and obviously wet.
About 10 meters from that area, we passed by the Calaanan bridge. Indeed, water level was high and almost half of it was gone. St. Therese Church just beside it was also full of water and the bell tower was literally toppled to the ground.
Moving farther, the rice field was like a vast swimming pool and the houses along the road were submerged in water. That frightened me more. I imagined our house being in the same situation and I felt panicked. I wanted the vehicle to reach our Terminal right then and there so I can assess the damage at my place. Water was literally everywhere and you could really hear the gushing sound. I commented to the Driver beside me that if God would really want to remove all the people on Earth, indeed all He has to do is let the rain pour unmercifully and we as polluted as our world is, as clogged as our canals are and as denuded our forest are , would easily die of drowning. But of course God is not like that. It was just a thought of a panicked person.
Finally, I reached our place and lucky for us, the water has not reached the area yet. However, I took a look at the nearby areas and there was no doubt that it will soon be flooded with water, too. With the night coming up, it would be hard to stay there and just wait for it considering the fact that behind the subdivision is a big river that is part of the Iponan river. My Mom decided that it would be better for all of us to vacate the house and go to our Grandma in Bulua while the car would still be able to run.
I asked to be left behind along with the nanny and what we did was placed those things that were likely to be damaged when wet at the attic. Durng those times, my priority were documents and albums. I am that sentimental ?hehe. My next priority were the handy appliances. We did all we can and soon it was also time to go. By the time we departed the house the water level was knee–deep and in some areas, waist-deep.
I really never thought that we would go through all that. We are now part of the statistics of the affected families. Lucky for us, we had relatives to run to during those times.
The ordeal lasted for a week and we went home after 5 days. There was not that much damage in our house and in our neighborhood, but others were not that lucky. Some lost their houses and livestock. Some lost their loved ones. It was indeed a very humbling experience for the Cagayanon’s as we have always prided our place as peaceful and calamity- free area. We were tested and we stood up to the test.
I hope that we have all learned our lessons. I have definitely learned something and that is, no matter what our station in life is, nobody is immune to nature’s wrath . What goes around comes around. If we allow our garbage to pile up it will all come back to bury us. I saw it happened in my own backyard. If we do not regulate the cutting of trees, it will leave us naked for the eye of the storm and other calamities to ravage. It is really time to take stock of what we have and cherish them. It is also time to remember if ever we have forgotten that there is an ever present Father whom we can run to all the time.
