These are their inspiring stories:
Falconerie Espanola lives in 214 Andros St.Phase 4 Vista Verde, Cainta.
"On Saturday Sept 26 2009, when the water reached the garage level.I started moving things and appliances to the second floor. We also carried up the bed ridden motherof Ate Nory, who owns the house. Monchit the brother of Ate Nory told me hewas so happy that I had the presence of mind to do this otherwise, he wouldhave drowned with his mom because he was too paralyzed by fear to doanything. Less than an hour later, the water reached the second floorlanding. Nory and the 2 kids were out of the house. KC was stranded in her schoolin San Agustin where she had ACP camping. Nory and Mikey were stranded at 2nd flrof the 7-11 store outside Vista Verde. The other houses of our neighbors which whichwere bungalows were totally submerged and some were on the roofs or swam toother neighbors houses with 2 stories.
By 2 PM saturday we had no electricty, phonelines or cellphone signals. we were totally cut off . On Sunday, since I am a strong swimmer,I swam acrossto neighbors houses to give them canned goods, noodles and drinking water becausethey were not able to bring anything up to the 2nd floor because the water roseso swiftly.We had lots of canned goods that Kuya Danny sent from time to timein a balikbayan box from California.
I am scared of snakes and some were floating on the water. Later Toto,one of the caretakers of a row of houses killed some of the snakes. Even the house of my good friend, Coca Cola PBA player Dennis Espino which is on thehighest portion of the village had the first floor totally submerged including his cars,and appliances.On Monday Dennis told me he and his family were strandedsomewhere in Marikina.
I was still able to text my family in San Carlos, Negros to ask themto pray for us because of the rising water.I was so nervous but still mobilizedmy neighbors who helped me with the heavy stuff. I was able to lift by myself
the sofa and drag it upstairs. but after the flood waters receded, I couldn't even lift it to return it to the first floor.
Sunday 5 P.M. the water was still up to my chest, I had to swim to the entrance gate to pick up Nory and the kids who had not eaten as well. Because electricity and water services were not yet restored and I was so tired,I was finally able to reach my friend Cecille Ferrer on Tuesday Sept 29in barangay san antonio pasig who was frantically texting and calling me and I sought
shelter at her house.She told me that her friend Eric Alvia of Barrio Kapitolyo Pasigand his mountaineer friendstogether with the San Antonio Barangay fire and rescue team got a motorized boat and went to Cainta to look for people to rescue and but at 1 A.M Monday,September 28, they had to turnback because of the strong currents so they didn't reach our area.
The next day, Wednesday,Sept 30, I was joined in Cecille's house by another friend from Vista Verde, Jennifer Rosca who lost all of her belongings and is now wearingCecille's much larger clothes. Jennifer only saved her bag, usb and one plastic envelop of important documents on her case study for sustainable design and development plusher cell phone but no charger.
I was able to finally cry when I reached Cecille's house becauseI was still traumatized. My family and friends were finally able to call my cellphone andCecille's landline. Cecille brought us to a meeting with her Buddhist friendsand we were wearing rubber slippers that she gave us and her clothes and herfriend Mariano Yupitun feed us and gave us blankets to also share with the others left at Vista Verde.
I am so thankful to all my friends who were thinking and praying for me. and I am very thankful to God thatI was saved and my neighbors are also safe . All I could think of as the waterwas rising was how blessed I was that we still had food and were dry on thesecond floor and alive." Falconerie Espanola cellphone-09273225420- Oct. 1,2009
Jennifer Rosca , interior designer consultant from Cebu lives with a family on 501 Apollo St. Phase 4 Vista Verde Executive Village, Cainta Rizal
" On Friday night Sept.25,2009 I was not going home because I was invited by a couple friend who are Adventist to stay at their house in Makati because of their Saturday church service. But since I didn't bring extra clothes and I had to wear skirt and not pants to the service, and I was not able to ask permission from my landlady, I went home to Vista Verde Cainta at 8 P.M. even with the strong rain. On saturday Sep.t 26 i woke up at 6 a.m. and found out the water in our house reached up to my knees. since we are used to flooding during the rainy season, we thought it was just an ordinary rainy day and things were normal. At 10 a.m. I peeped out to the street and saw that the water reached midway of our gate and i went out and the water was mid-tigh. I asked the daughter of my landlady and asked her if this was a common event when it rains. and she said she experienced it once with water reaching up to her tigh several years back.
At 11:30 while my landlady was preparing lunch,I went out to do mylaundry but the water at the back of the house reached up to my waist. the water startedrushing into the house while we took our lunch and we were joking with each otherabout our cell phones falling into the water. I kept on eating and found out after a coupleof seconds that the water kept rising so we all stood up still eating. then I rushed to myroom and got my rosary, mama mary statue and palaspas and my documents my birth certificate, my case study about sustainable design development of a special clientfrom Cebu to present in New York and my bag with the picture of my boyfriend , my usb and my cellphone but forgot the charger. My landlady and her husband placed her kids on styrofoam ice box andthey floated to the next door neighbor's two story house.
Almost 1 P.M. the water was up to my chest. I tried to swim holding on to thegate with one hand and one hand holding on to my documents and tried to go tothe two story house where my friend Nerie Espanola was staying. But the current wasso strong and I was getting tired because I had fever and Nerie told me to take medicine.
There was a three story house owned by Col. Aguirre five houses away from myhouse. A tricycle driver who was taking shelter in col. aguirre's house with his familyincluding an infant, saw me and shouted, "saan ka pupunta jen? gusto ko pumunta kay Nerie espanola kasi 2 storey ang house niya. He replied " Dito ka nasa bahay ni colonel, hindi muna kakayanin lumangoy hanggang andros kasi masyadong malalim na at malakas ang agos ng tubig."
When i reached the 3 storey house, Col. opened the door and the water in the living room was untilmy knees while the water on the street level was over 6 ft. tall.Because their house was on one of the highest parts of apollo st. the water only reached the ground floor not the second floor. Six families took shelter at Col. Aguirre's house, we had to share the bread and the water becausethey were not able to go to the grocery. On sunday Sept.27, I woke up at 5 a.m. to look for food floatingon the flood waters and found some vegetables, meat,fish in plastic container that were smelly but we washed these with water saved in the kitchen.we cooked that and gave it to the children first sincewe didn't have dinner the night before. the maid of one of the family taking shelter swam to their bungalow house and found rice in plastic floating there. we cooked that as well.
i realized the importance of one matchbox stick left for our survival. we were shouting at thehelicopters overhead to drop food but the helicopter people just took videos of us.sunday afternoon I asked Albert the tricyle driver to get the floating gas range burner and shellane tank floating in the flood water and we dried it on the rooftop so we could use it. Water was still 10 feetoutside the house. Sunday night we couldn't sleep because she could hear people shouting saklolo saklolo help us.
I stayed there until Monday Sept 27 after lunch, when waters subsided up to knee level. I wentback home and found my things were washed away and nothing was left. the house was still full of muddy water, no electricity, no phone, nothing. i went back to col. aguirre to help cook lunch and eat there. I went back home to help clean and Monday night I went to my friend George also on andros street to check on them. I was so wet that my fever came back and my feet were so white from the cold.I slept there Monday night and on Tuesday morning Sept. 29 I helped clean up and we saw nuns giving food on our street. People lined up outside their gates, poor and rich alike to accept the food donation. Nerie bought medicine for me and I picked it up at her house.
Tuesday lunch time I lined up at the country club together with poor and rich alike to accept food and water and medicine from the Philippine Red Cross. This is the first time I did it in my life. In Cebu I would help distribute food to disaster victims, now I am on the receiving end to survive. At the house of George we pooled the food we got and we shared it. I slept there another night and the next day Wednesday Sept 30 I texted my mom in Cebu that I was ok but not telling her about my flood experience. I texted from a common friend cellphone and got a reply from Nerie to call her at her friend Cecille Ferrer's house in Pasig and Cecille said to stay withher.
Cecille drove with Nerie to Shangrila Mall to pick me up, feed me lunch and I took a shower and finally changed out of the clothes I wore during the typhoon and she gave me some clothes and disposable underwear to change into. We later went with her to attend a meeting and her Buddhist friend Mariano Yupitun also feed us and gave Nerie and me blankets.
Reflecting on what happened afterwards, I realized that focus is important. I survived because because I had presence of mind and focus and still have a lot of things to accomplish to make other people smile and make a difference in the lives of many.I found out how one match stick saved the lives of 6 families who were so hungry and we were able to cook the food werecovered from the flood waters. Its not important if you are rich or poor in times of disasterbecause you are all equal suffering, sharing water and bread, hungry and cold. It is corny and badoy but if you love someone you will do everything to survive. I kept thinking of my family,my boyfriend and my true friends. I thank God,Mama Mary, I'm still alive, I still have a lot of responsibilities.-
Jennifer Rosca, interior design consultant- Oct. 1,2009
I'm praying with the rest of the Philippines, that the forecasted Typhoon Pepeng will veer away or will at least not be as disastrous as the last one. There are still thousands of people in evacuation centers and the flood waters have not receeded in so many places.
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