I was born in Iloilo City (Jaro, to be specific) and most of my parents’ relatives still live there as well as in Bacolod City.
So when Typhoon Frank lashed at Panay Island over the weekend, I was very concerned about them. Our driver who had children there told me that the water rose so fast (up to their necks) that the children had to evacuate to neighbors on higher ground.
My brother forwarded to me a text from a relative who described the situation as “serious”. They have no phones, no electricity, no water. And they expect this situation to last several months. This sounded like a step back into the Dark Ages!
I just came from the Multiply blog of my niece and read through her account about how water rose 8-15 feet in Jaro in just 10-15 minutes (how could that be????). Friends of her Mom called to say that their relatives were stuck on trees as water swelled around their barangay. People were caught unaware; many were still having breakfast as the waters rose. So many lives lost, so many homes destroyed completely, so many people’s livelihoods shattered.
I do not have a complete picture yet of how our relatives there are. We are still trying to contact them one by one to check on their situation.
This site carries pictures of the storm’s aftermath in Iloilo. The scope of the devastation just leaves me without words. On TV earlier, I looked at Boracay and could not even recognize it as a tourist spot with pristine waters and white sandy beaches.
As we follow news of the ill-fated Sulpicio ship that sank and the number of passengers who died, even more questions are in my mind concerning the flash floods in Panay:
– How could torrential rains, no matter how strong, inundate such a wide area in just a few minutes?
– Was this a result again of illegal logging?
– Who should be held accountable, if ever illegal activities were behind the floods?
For now, I am helpless here in Manila. All I can do is pray for my family over there and hope they are able to weather this trial. Please pray with me for all those who lost loved ones and shelter and if it is within your means, help by donating your excess to the various institutions accepting them for the people of Panay.