Sendusout

As our close friends and co-workers Grace and Ervz Tia returned home late from a long day of errands and work at WMC-AP, they noticed the traffic was unusually bad. Metro Manila traffic can always be slow, however, the traffic climbing the hill from APNTS to Antipolo was backed up to Tikling junction many kilometers from the Tia’s home. With the traffic that horrible, the Tia’s chose to take a tricycle home rather than a jeepney as it would be able to weave between the larger vehicles getting them home sooner.

With much of Manila still wet from typhoon Milenyo showers from the coming Typhoon Neneng were already beginning to soak the Philippines Islands. Hours later as the rain fell heavily the Tia’s approached their home and saw the first signs of the disaster that awaited them. Despite being high above most of Manila, two floodways near the Tia’s home had overflowed due to the large amounts of debris and excess water from the heavy typhoon rains creating flash floods across the city. Flood waters had filled the street with a knee deep torrent of muddy water. Traffic was virtually at a standstill as vehicles slowly attempted to cross the flood. As the Tia’s approached their home, the water only grew deeper. The common courtyard around which the 6 homes sit, including Ervz and Grace’s, was tragically waist deep in water. Grace’s sister’s house opposite the courtyard sat lower then the other houses and it had chest deep water soaking all of the young family’s possesions.

Ervz ventured in to assess the flood and found their home to be 3 feet deep in filthy flood water. Their refrigerator was floating in the middle of their kitchen like a toy boat. The counters were overcome with muddy water. The couches and chairs were all submerged. Erin’s toys were sadly bobbing about the room. It was an utterly hopeless situation. Leaving the doors open to allow the water to receed, the Tia’s had no option but to wait the flood out.

Hours later, just after midnight, the waters had receded to less than a foot and Grace, Ervz, and their tired daughter Erin returned home. Fortunately their bedrooms are situated on the second floor of their apartment, so they were able to get what sleep they could. As the sun rose the next day and began to turn mud to dust, the Tia’s, along with thousands of other Filipino families, began the process of cleaning their homes and salvaging what they could of their possesions.

Please pray for the Tia’s and the other flooded Filipino families during these stressful and tragic days. If you would like to help, please let us know.