Crowds at Auntie Virgi's
On December 29, 2014, a typhoon reached two of the southern Philippines islands - Bohol (where I am staying) and Mindanao (where Joyce's immediate family lives). The typhoon did not have strong winds (it received a Category One rating) yet large amounts of rain managed to fall and flood certain areas. Around 10:30 last night neighbors started arriving at Auntie Virgi's seeking shelter from the rain and floods. Neighbors less than 50 meters away, at about 10 meters lower elevation, awoke to find shin level water in their homes. Within fifteen minutes the water level rose to waist level and strong currents were running through the streets. Residents started evacuating their homes for higher ground - which for most relative's was Auntie Virgi's house.
By midnight everyone seemed settled at Auntie Virgi's. About 50 people spent the night. All the kids seemed pretty excited at the prospect of everyone being together even as their parents planned next steps. Most people were able to find some place to sleep before evaluating the damage the next day. Most homes at the lower elevation and particularly those near the river had significant damage. While the water had receded it left behind a trail of mud and soaked furniture and personal items. It was an all day clean up process.
Joyce's grandparent's house sits at the lower elevation and was evacuated. The house has a unique design in which there is a six inch drop from the outside into the entrance, living room, dining room, and kitchen area. The high water levels receded, unfortunately the home's interior remained flooded with almost the full six inch drop. The house living area looked like a swimming pool.
The morning consisted of using bucket after bucket to remove the standing water. Pales of water were filled and carried to the drainage area where they were dumped. The total living area affected was less than 1,500 square feet…so if you filled each cubic foot bucket it would take 750 buckets to remove all the water…not an insurmountable task given all family members involved. By lunch we were nearly complete.
However, the hard work remained. With the standing water removed it unveiled a mud covered floor which would require much more effort to clean than water removal. Clumps of mud were behind furniture, in cupboards, and every corner. We spent the rest of the afternoon removing most of the mud, however, there was still quite a bit of cleanup on hand. A decision was made to hire assistance to finish the job. The family also lacked some of the basic cleanup equipment - push brooms, squeegee, even buckets with handles.
The second night was a little calmer with only the immediate family members coming over for dinner and spending the night, rather then additional neighborhood friends. We watched the news and the damage in other parts of Bohol and Mindanao was more severe. A few people died when their homes collapsed and a few rivers farther inland caused damage…this was the same area devastated by an earthquake a year ago. Photos from Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao's principle city, showed entire streets flooded. Joyce's mom spent the night at an evacuation center, which sounded pretty ramshackle, but she was alright and had help to clean up her place.
By midnight everyone seemed settled at Auntie Virgi's. About 50 people spent the night. All the kids seemed pretty excited at the prospect of everyone being together even as their parents planned next steps. Most people were able to find some place to sleep before evaluating the damage the next day. Most homes at the lower elevation and particularly those near the river had significant damage. While the water had receded it left behind a trail of mud and soaked furniture and personal items. It was an all day clean up process.
Joyce's grandparent's house sits at the lower elevation and was evacuated. The house has a unique design in which there is a six inch drop from the outside into the entrance, living room, dining room, and kitchen area. The high water levels receded, unfortunately the home's interior remained flooded with almost the full six inch drop. The house living area looked like a swimming pool.
The morning consisted of using bucket after bucket to remove the standing water. Pales of water were filled and carried to the drainage area where they were dumped. The total living area affected was less than 1,500 square feet…so if you filled each cubic foot bucket it would take 750 buckets to remove all the water…not an insurmountable task given all family members involved. By lunch we were nearly complete.
However, the hard work remained. With the standing water removed it unveiled a mud covered floor which would require much more effort to clean than water removal. Clumps of mud were behind furniture, in cupboards, and every corner. We spent the rest of the afternoon removing most of the mud, however, there was still quite a bit of cleanup on hand. A decision was made to hire assistance to finish the job. The family also lacked some of the basic cleanup equipment - push brooms, squeegee, even buckets with handles.
The second night was a little calmer with only the immediate family members coming over for dinner and spending the night, rather then additional neighborhood friends. We watched the news and the damage in other parts of Bohol and Mindanao was more severe. A few people died when their homes collapsed and a few rivers farther inland caused damage…this was the same area devastated by an earthquake a year ago. Photos from Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao's principle city, showed entire streets flooded. Joyce's mom spent the night at an evacuation center, which sounded pretty ramshackle, but she was alright and had help to clean up her place.
PRE-FLOOD WATER LEVELS
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FOur-DAY POST FLOOD WATER LEVELS
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