It’s been almost a year since I moved to Makati. Countless storms have passed by, one after the other, with their names hardly remembered. All I know was that if there was a storm it never stopped raining and the weather’s all gray and gloomy for a week. But never, never have I been rendered trapped and almost helpless by a storm, not once in my entire life here in Makati.

Lucky me

You see, I was lucky enough to find a spacious apartment that wasn’t plagued by floods every time it rained and was near enough to the office that I could be at work in 5 minutes by cab.

I’m still lucky, compared to other people in the metro. The apartment up to now is dry and safe, the compound isn’t flooded but that’s it. The street outside is submerged in water, and this is the first time I’ve seen our street as well as Kamagong street rendered impassable by even the bravest of tricycles.

Luck came through again for me when I decided to buy groceries yesterday at Waltermart Makati. I was still sick but was feeling a bit better after taking my own cocktail drug (5 kinds of paracetamol + dalandan + honey) so I decided to go out and buy some dvds at Makati Cinema Square. Once there I had this sudden urge to do a little grocery shopping and rather than go to SM (which is where I usually shop for groceries) I walked over to WalterMart and bought my usual grocery fare of noodles, pancit canton (all instant), canned tuna, native oranges, crackers, and a big pack of samba.

Never did I know that this is what I’ll be eating the next day because of Ondoy.

Trapped

Come Saturday morning it was raining hard. I didn’t think anything of it. I just went down, turned the router on and grabbed a pack of Nissin wafers thinking I’ll go out and buy a full meal later when the rain stops.

Even when people were plurking and twittering about the floods and how they’ve lost their things I still didn’t worry. I felt bad for Ate Aileen and Migs on their plight but since I was so sure I lived in a flood proof home I didn’t think Ondoy will affect me that much.

Wrong.

Ondoy showed it’s effect by trapping us all in our apartment with no real food. Yes we were dry and our apartment isn’t flooded but safety and flood free stopped right in front of our gate. If I wasn’t so sure that I was living in the city, I’d have thought I was at a river side, what with the water all rippled and flowing.

It finally sunk in that I was going nowhere. Not for food and not even for work.

Ondoy’s Effect

By 6pm I finally went down to watch the news. People were plurking and twittering about floods as deep as 10 feet, some posting pictures and videos. But seeing the news on tv, with reporters like Susan Enriquez looking harassed and stressed, people’s faces looking resigned, desperate, and just plain helpless made me realize how grave the situation was.

I looked around, started thinking and making a brief inventory of the things I could use in case the flood decides to conquer the apartment as well. It was dismal. No candles, no flashlights, not even a match under my name.

Most of the food was junk, everything instant, save for the native oranges I bought from the supermarket. The only useful appliance I had was my trusty rice cooker,  which can be rendered useless if the electricity gets cut off, and my 5 year old scout knife.

I wasn’t prepared at all! And to think I was a girl scout once and went through all those disaster preparedness trainings.

When it finally stopped raining I let out a big sigh of relief. I am alive, dry, and the apartment is in one piece. I am so fucking lucky.

I’ve learned my lesson though. Come rest day, I am so gearing myself up in case Ondoy’s cohorts strike anew. Meanwhile, I’ll start sorting out my things so I could donate clothes and a few pairs of sandals and slippers.

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