notes on the storm

‘Ondoy’ dumps heaviest rainfall on Manila in more than four decades

– When I heard on the news that the storm would hit land Saturday, I didn’t think too much of it. I mean, we get a gazillion storms every year.

– That day I even woke up early, thinking I could go for a jog if the rain had stopped. I couldn’t hear anything because the windows were closed. I pushed back the curtain and boy oh boy.

– A flatmate had work that morning; she came back minutes later and said she couldn’t cross the street, the water in front of the condo had already reached her knees.

– An office mate informed me through text that the front steps of our office was submerged in flood water. Dahil ganito kami sa Makati, y’all.

– It ain’t just Makati, it turned out. At around 2 p.m. my sister sent a text message saying there’s water now entering the first floor of her boarding house (she lived in Manila), and that she couldn’t contact our brother, who left at 10 a.m. for Bulacan.

– I managed to go online briefly, and a friend sent a message through chat: This is the first time a storm has ever scared me.

– I stayed glued to the TV. At one point, actress Jennica Garcia, Jean Garcia’s daughter, called Startalk to say that the Marikina Riverbank had overflowed, and that there was now water reaching the second floor of their house. She was crying and begging for rubber boats.

– It was so surreal.

– Later we heard that Ara Mina’s sister, Christine Reyes, was on the roof of their house with her pamangkin, also asking for help.

– My brother was still missing.

– The news said that several towns in Bulacan were now flooded.

– At around 7 p.m., my brother finally sent a text. He was stranded in Isetann.

– My office mate, who lived just behind the office, couldn’t get home. She texted me at around 11 p.m.

– My mother texted: There is now water inside the house.

– At 7 this morning (Sunday) my brother was still not home.

– I watched TV and was infuriated by Kris Aquino’s cheeriness. “They just pledged 2,000 bottles of VitWater. VitWater’s the one with Pacman, right? Okay yan o, may nutrients pa.” Te, te, bagyo kasi ‘to, hindi piyesta. Imbiyerna!

– Brother finally reached Bulacan at 10 a.m., 24 hours after he left Manila.

– Now I’m looking outside the window, and it is sunny. If you’re cranky and tired like me, you’ll probably consider the sunshine as an insult.

– I hope you guys are okay.