Typhoon Pepeng

We see these natural disasters and wide-spread devastation caused by an angry Mother Nature all the time, and yet, never in a million years did I every think that it would happen to my family.

My parents fell victim to Typhoon Pepeng's wraith. Because the rains didn't ease up, the dam operators of the San Roque Dam opened the flood gates to prevent a breach or collapse in the dam. Regardless of this, residents in the low-lying areas, including our town, were affected by the floods.

Imagine yourself and work. It's 11:00am, and you get a text from your father. You know something's wrong because it's 2 o'clock in the morning where they are...

"Everything is fine. I just want to tell you before you hear it from others--we're flooded, but we're ok."--Oct. 9, 2009; 2:07am, Philippines

What do you do with that? All I could think of was the devastation that Typhoon Ondoy left in Manila just a week before. I can't tell you how I got through the rest of my work day, but what I can tell you is that I cried driving home that evening. I've never felt so helpless before. One of the hardest things about this situation is that I'm an ocean away from my parents. I think the most difficult thing for me is imagining what my parents went through when they received the warning that a flood was imminent, what went through their minds when the river dike broke behind the house, and when the strong current of silty water rushed through the property as they had to scrambled to safety atop the house. It just seems wrong to me, like I should be the one to worry about stuff like that. Not them. My heart breaks each time a think about it. The important thing is that my parents are safe, as well as my relatives and friends in our town, and that's all that matters.

Because my mind has been preoccupied with this situation, I haven't had the chance to contact my college friends who live in Pangasinan, Baguio and Benguet until today. I contacted several of them, but I only heard from two. One of them lives in Dagupan City, and three-fourths of their house is submerged underwater. It's so sad. I just hope that the relief efforts get to the region fast. My prayers go out to everyone there.