Waterlogged
Posted Sep 27th, 2009 at 6:13PM UTC under FamilyTags: Events, Thoughts
Exhausted and stressed, I try to write this post as best as I can. The Philippines has just suffered its worst flooding in history, and thousands of our countrymen remain stranded.
This however is different as it has hit me where it hurts the most. My mother and brother have informed me yesterday that they had to evacuate our home for higher ground… a neighbor’s roof. With no sign of respite, the phone call that I frantically tried to keep from going was cut off. And despite further attempts to contact them, I was only mocked by the number cannot reach automated message.
I tried to keep awake, trying all forms of communication from Twitter to Facebook, Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger, in hopes that I could gather news or usable information as to how my family back home are doing, as well as whether or not they would be rescued the soonest time possible.
The very first thing I did this morning was to try my luck and send an SMS message to my brother. Calling him was no longer an option since the night before, he had informed me that his mobile phone battery was very low.
I nearly leapt off the bed when I received his response. Our mother was just taken into one of the rescue boats along with the neighbors’ 2 children they were stuck with on the roof. That was about 6AM Philippine time. They were exposed to the elements and the stresses of uncertainty for over 12 hours.
The ordeal isn’t over though as my brother still remains in the roof of our neighbor, still without food or shelter… for over 24 hours now. I have been trying everything I could on my end to get attention to the area so as to at least get them food and drink. A friend managed to inform me about a couple of companies making use of their helicopters for relief operations. I immediately contacted the number and informed them of the situation, and minutes after received their reply… that they have 3 helicopters continuously dropping relief goods to those who are yet to be rescued.
My mother, who was rescued by one the boats roaming around has yet to be found. My brother was informed that she was in Camp Aguinaldo, but this was proven to be false information when some of our relatives came looking for her there. Maybe they had to bring her somewhere else?
And as if the stress was not enough, my so-called internet service provider Virgin Broadband, has been continuously dropping my connection off. Something that a very worried family member in a crisis like this does not need. I mean, this is the only way I can try and help my family and it is not even reliable! At one point, we even had to go out and find ourselves a decent connection. What a shame.
Some friends and family have been assisting us in finding both mom and Jon and bring them home. Typhoon Ondoy has taken the best of us Filipinos, but we have been fighting back in more ways than one.
Although we are all emotionally-charged because of this, let us just try our best to be objective and assist those who are in need as much as we can. But even so, Seeing the images on television and on the web, the cries for help of all our kababayans, and even the map that lists people stranded in their roofs is making me feel helpless. I see the street where we live, and I know where my brother is right now but their is nothing I can do about it.
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A Filipino living in South Australia, I am a family man, otaku, gamer, a gadget and multimedia lover, and a frustrated photographer, with a passion for Web development and the digital arts.
