Adventures of a Beauty Queen

Balay Indang's Doors

8:30PM, Balay Indang, Cavite.
September 26, 2009.
As I type this post, I am praying. I am praying for my two helpers at our home in Marikina. Typhoon Ondoy has inundated our lovely homestead and floodwaters have reached the mezzanine level. That was the situation some 6 hours ago when I lost contact with my helpers Mimi and Paning. They had called on neighborhood men to help them keep dry whatever they could. If the water was able to reach the floor of our mezzanine-level bedroom, we estimate that the water level on the street in front of our house would be chest high. Oh Lord, let it stop there.
As I type and pray, I am thankful that my hubby and I are safely tucked in a warm cottage bed in Balay Indang, Cavite which is 10 minutes down the slopes of Tagaytay. Although the wind and rain are just as hard here, flood is not a problem, thanks to the height of this place and the surrounding forest. I wonder if God deliberately kept us away from our drowning home – a test of faith maybe? We have only two choices now – to panic or to just trust that everything is under His control.

Ron, trying not to think too much...

My hubby Ron and I drove up here early this morning to attend a whole day seminar for our church’s ushers. But we decided against going back to Manila after our daughter Diandra, who has been stuck for 8 hours in traffic on Quirino Highway said it was too scary to travel and that it would be better if we had stayed put. We listened to her advice and just kept thanking God that although she was stuck in a car, she was safe with trustworthy company, away from the floods.
But our helpers and home in Marikina weren’t.
It breaks my heart to say this, but this is the first time water has ever entered my husband’s home. It was built in Marikina in the late 70s and has ALWAYS been a safe haven from storms and floods. Until today. And so I type and I pray.
I think of my two helpers and can only hope that they stay brave and don’t lose their brains. I think of my pets – I have 8 cats, 5 dogs and right now 3 kittens and can only hope that they survive. My Lab-colored askal named Bailey was reportedly parked on top of our white cabinet on the patio.
I think of all the journals I have sitting in my wooden chest; those contain at least 5 years of precious memories. What about all the photos? I think of all the documents I have filed under my desk; will they escape the water? I was not able to instruct Mimi and Paning where they were hidden. I think of my volumes upon volumes of books and DVDs collected over the years. I can only pray that God ties down the hands of Typhoon Ondoy.
To make matters worse, I have not been able to establish contact with my neighbors and friends in Marikina to see if they are alright. Most of the lines are down in that area. I was able to contact one friend in the Concepcion area and she said that although the rains haven’t really abated, the flood, which had reached knee-height in her home, has receded and only the main street now is under.
This gives me hope that maybe the rising of the flood at my home has stopped. Oh Lord, please let it have stopped. I feel blind and helpless in this room but the tough woman in me continues to multi-task – typing and praying at the same time. Can you hear me Lord? I am striking these keys as loudly as I can!!!

Praying against Typhoon Ondoy

I called my Mother in Honolulu – she is constantly glued to the Filipino ChanneI and so I therefore I knew that she knew about the devastation. After I assured her of our safety she began to cry about how Typhoon Ondoy had turned the city of Marikina and other parts of Metro Manila into a deadly swimming pool. She cried over the people she saw on TV, the children stranded on roofs, young people in the flood clinging to anything just to stay alive. And here I was worried about my documents, books and DVDs.
Oh Lord, why is this happening? Help me forget all my things – yes, even my journals and photos, but please spare our people and our animals.

Balay Indang will soon turn off the generator so I will have to stop typing in a bit but I assure you that I will keep praying. Even in my sleep. Not because it’s the only thing I can do. But because it’s the most powerful gift God has given me. Will you help me pray?

My other articles on Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng:

Typhoon Pepeng Gives Us A Scare

How to Save Your Wet Books and Journals

Typhoon Ondoy’s Mischief in Marikina

Typhoon Ondoy’s Destruction