Journal Entry – Rain rain go away

A pregnant women, assisted by a man crosses the flooded area of Barangay San Vicente Angono, Rizal on August 9, 2012.

72 hours of non-stop rain, I was thinking Ondoy 2, please no. I was helpless as I was stuck in the city. We had no TV so I listened to the radio. I stepped out of the house once to load my mobile phone and I saw our street flooded, which was already a high place. I somehow decided to leave my dlsr  at other house the past week, so I had no camera, except for the cell phone, which I took some quick snaps with it after getting loaded. 

A view of the Angono Municipal Gymnasium which has been converted into an evacuation center, August 9, 2012. Around 300 families occupied the area.

When the rain stopped the next day, I decided to get my camera and visit my hometown Angono, Rizal. On the way there, rain poured hard again and since most roads were flooded,  I had to take alternate routes. Finally, after 3hrs of travelling I got home, rested and prepared for next day. 

I woke up pretty late (which was not part of the plan), I went first to the Municipal Hall, and asked around the areas and number of families affected by the rains; they said Barangay San Vicente and Kalayaan were the most affected. Having no clue to where exactly those were, I walked around and asked for directions and somehow I bumped into a 4x4 pickup truck, who allowed me to hitch along. I thought the truck was delivering relief goods since it had sacks of rice and bottled water, but to my surprise it turns out the goods was actually for owner of the car, I felt a little dismayed but thanked them for the ride anyway.

Residents of Barangay Kalayaan Angono, Rizal use make shift boats to transport dry goods on August 9, 2012.

So, I submerged myself in the waist deep water and as it got deeper and deeper, a boatman offered a ride and we went around the area. The place was chest high, when they saw the camera, their faces smiled as if nothing happened. They kept on asking “From what TV station/News agency are you?” I didn’t really know what to say back, but I told them a few. They told me, “You’re the first person with a camera to go here, can you please tell them to give us food? We’ve been living like this for two weeks” (a typhoon struck a week before) After going around the area for about an hour, I told the people at the Municipal Hall about the situation and sent the pictures to different news agencies right away. The next day I had to go back to the city since I had office work. I wonder how they’re doing now. I wish the rain would stop for a while.

Dogs are left stranded in an abandoned house in Barangay Kalayaan Angono, Rizal on August 9, 2012.

A child uses a make shift boat to transport along Angono National High School on August 9, 2012. The school submerged in water is used as one of the evacuation centers around the area.