The resurgence of the PTB Blog Carnival this month and its theme, "Stories from My Hometown," is quite timely.
Why?
This month of November is the 25th year commemoration of the Ormoc City flashflood and the 3rd year commemoration of the devastation of super typhoon Yolanda in Leyte.
Hoooh! Two big calamities in my hometown in just a matter of 22 years. Personally, I get so emotional when I recall all the memories of those calamities. Our family and our "kababayans" in Ormoc had experienced the dread and hardships during those disasters. Yet, God in His mercy had saved our family and had given the Ormocanons the resilience, strength, and comfort that are much-needed in those times.
November 5, 1991. The day that Ormocanons will never forget. I was still 4 years old at that time and I could still remember some details. I remember that it was raining when we woke in the morning. I didn't know that typhoon Uring was already approaching Eastern Visayas and we never thought it would ravage the city. The rain never stopped but it continued and it was getting stronger. We were just inside our house and I was busy playing with my toys. (Maybe I had new toys by then because a month before was my 4th birthday.) After playing, I kept all my toys and placed it under our bed. (I never thought that I will never get to play with those toys again.) It was noon when my brother and sisters arrived home. Their classes were cancelled because of the typhoon. Then maybe after lunch (I can't remember anymore), my father noticed that the water was rising. He gathered the whole family and we prayed. It was that pause for prayer that God had communicated to my father. Because after prayer, He then grabbed me first and carried me in His arms to our neighbor's 2-storey concrete house while my mother and siblings followed. The water was now going up but my father and brother went back to the house because they wanted to get some things but while they were there, the water rose up immediately and they were swept away by the flood together with our small nipa house that was uprooted and destroyed by the raging waters. Then fear came in. We couldn't see them and we can't do anything. So we prayed again that God would save them. The floodwaters subsided in the afternoon and thankfully my father and brother went back to the place that we were staying. They were alive! God saved them! And their bodies were full of wounds and bruises and the scars still remain today as a reminder of God's goodness to them and to our family as a whole.
They say that during the flashflood approximately 5,000 people died and 2,500 people were missing. It was really a devastation that my young mind couldn't imagine. But I know God was there all the time. He gave the Ormocanons resilience, strength, and comfort.
November 8, 2013. Another disaster came. Super typhoon Yolanda battered Eastern Visayas killing thousands in Tacloban and destroying a lot of properties, houses, and livelihood in Leyte. The damage in Ormoc during that time was also immense. But still, God in His mercy spared us all.
That's why I always cling to God's promise in the Bible. His promise in Psalm 34:7 says,
See! God's angels are ever near to those who fear Him and to those who call upon Him in times of trouble and calamities. His angels are there to help, deliver, and save!
God saved our family twice already! And He will save yours too!
Why?
This month of November is the 25th year commemoration of the Ormoc City flashflood and the 3rd year commemoration of the devastation of super typhoon Yolanda in Leyte.
 |
| Documenting the damage brought about by super typhoon Yolanda. |
Hoooh! Two big calamities in my hometown in just a matter of 22 years. Personally, I get so emotional when I recall all the memories of those calamities. Our family and our "kababayans" in Ormoc had experienced the dread and hardships during those disasters. Yet, God in His mercy had saved our family and had given the Ormocanons the resilience, strength, and comfort that are much-needed in those times.
 |
| Ormoc City landmark at the Veteran's Park. |
November 5, 1991. The day that Ormocanons will never forget. I was still 4 years old at that time and I could still remember some details. I remember that it was raining when we woke in the morning. I didn't know that typhoon Uring was already approaching Eastern Visayas and we never thought it would ravage the city. The rain never stopped but it continued and it was getting stronger. We were just inside our house and I was busy playing with my toys. (Maybe I had new toys by then because a month before was my 4th birthday.) After playing, I kept all my toys and placed it under our bed. (I never thought that I will never get to play with those toys again.) It was noon when my brother and sisters arrived home. Their classes were cancelled because of the typhoon. Then maybe after lunch (I can't remember anymore), my father noticed that the water was rising. He gathered the whole family and we prayed. It was that pause for prayer that God had communicated to my father. Because after prayer, He then grabbed me first and carried me in His arms to our neighbor's 2-storey concrete house while my mother and siblings followed. The water was now going up but my father and brother went back to the house because they wanted to get some things but while they were there, the water rose up immediately and they were swept away by the flood together with our small nipa house that was uprooted and destroyed by the raging waters. Then fear came in. We couldn't see them and we can't do anything. So we prayed again that God would save them. The floodwaters subsided in the afternoon and thankfully my father and brother went back to the place that we were staying. They were alive! God saved them! And their bodies were full of wounds and bruises and the scars still remain today as a reminder of God's goodness to them and to our family as a whole.
They say that during the flashflood approximately 5,000 people died and 2,500 people were missing. It was really a devastation that my young mind couldn't imagine. But I know God was there all the time. He gave the Ormocanons resilience, strength, and comfort.
November 8, 2013. Another disaster came. Super typhoon Yolanda battered Eastern Visayas killing thousands in Tacloban and destroying a lot of properties, houses, and livelihood in Leyte. The damage in Ormoc during that time was also immense. But still, God in His mercy spared us all.
 |
| A family without a house in Ormoc City after super typhoon Yolanda. |
That's why I always cling to God's promise in the Bible. His promise in Psalm 34:7 says,
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
See! God's angels are ever near to those who fear Him and to those who call upon Him in times of trouble and calamities. His angels are there to help, deliver, and save!
God saved our family twice already! And He will save yours too!
This is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Blog Carnival for November 2016
with the theme "Stories from My Hometown"
hosted by Celine Reyes of Celineism.