Rain....Rain Go Away

Philippines is a typhoon stricken country.  During rainy season which normally starts in the month of May, continuous heavy rains could always spell disaster to most households in Manila as it does to the streets of the city. This is so because this city almost always turns into a body of water once rains starts to come in.

My most memorable experience with a typhoon has something to do with the flood which almost always accompanies the rains.  I think it was in the late ‘80s.  I have forgotten now what typhoon name was it.  I have been encountering one flood after the other prior to that, but it wasn’t quite alarming.  The farthest I have seen and encountered in terms of flood then was knee-deep, nothing beyond that.  The flood that strucked me that particular memorable year was so deep that I began to fear that should the water  continues while I am still in the middle of the street I’d probably be drown considering that I do not at all know how to swim.

My agony started as I was ready to go home after the days work in the office.  I knew it was raining the whole day and that there was a typhoon but the only worry I had while I was preparing to leave was that I may not be able to get a comfortable ride on time.  My daily route in going to and from work then consisted of two jeepney rides as my residence and place of work belongs to different localities.  True enough, I was not only able to get a comfortable ride on time; more so, I was not able to get a ride at all.  Hence, I started to leave on foot figuring out what lies ahead in my next jeepney ride.  The flood in the area where I was supposed to have my first ride was already ankle-deep. A speeding vehicle passed by causing the flood water to be splashed into my direction turning me half wet.  How insensitive the driver was, I thought.  In catastrophe like this one, I was hoping that each one will be a little sensitive of the others.  But, oh I guess I was asking for the moon with this thought.

I was not ready for my next encounter.  It turned out that the area in my next jeepney ride was already waist deep flooded.  Perhaps it has something to do with the drainage in that area, or so I thought.  I saw people starting their journey to the waist-deep water and though I was hesitant at first, turned out I really had no other option.  My main concern really was the thought of the sensitive part of my body being emerged in dirty flood water and the infection that I might get.  How horrible it might be. I do not worry so much about my feet or my legs being touched by flood, but that part? I had second thoughts.

When one is in the midst of a crisis and there are few choices left or none at all, you go with the flow.  That’s exactly what I did.  It was a long journey with me in a very awkward and tiring position with my both hands up, one is holding my bag the other holding a few other things that cannot be fit into my bag.  Midway through our journey though, the feeling was no longer as pathetic as it started.  It started to occur to me that this was an adventure of a lifetime, and thus, though uncomfortable, was a memorable experience worth retelling over and over again.  What happened onwards were a series of one small adventure to the next like evading areas which were perceived to have open manholes and crossing in areas where the water current was so strong.  It’s like survival to the fittest but no so.

In the end, I was brought home safe by nobody but myself. Great feat. That was not enough though. The house where I lived as a tenant was likewise having a disaster of its own.  There was flood likewise and worst, because I had not left a duplicate key to my room, I arrived seeing my personal belongings all drowned in water.

Manila is always like this during typhoons.  It was like that then. It still is like that now.  The government has done nothing grand to prevent flood from occurring.  So does the people.