Flood

When I was in elementary, our grade school principal usually referred to Dumaguete as a "city spoiled by God." It was a tropically beautiful city, relatively peaceful and always with the right balance of great weather.

That is why the first thing that came to my mind, when I found out that Dumaguete was one of the cities that did not fare well during Sendong's two-day havoc, I really didn't believe it at first. Then I found out on Facebook and the news and, the more important question came to mind, "What did you guys do to upset Him?"

Seriously, there has never been damage like this from a storm in Dumaguete in all my 31 years of existence. I saw a couple of houses float down Banica River when Ruping struck but that was it.

Here is a video montage I found on Youtube on the damage in my hometown.

Thankfully, my home and my family were safe and dry.

But not for others. Two of the people that help my mother in the market each lost their houses to the raging Banica river, along with everything they owned. Several bridges cracked while some collapsed. Lives were lost. Floods that carried disease increased hospital admissions. People stranded -- some missing, some worrying the people they cared about because there were no means of communication and transport.

I was finally able to come home and I saw some of the damage done by the storm -- trees uprooted, houses collapsed, and a shoreline full of debris and receding water levels in the Banica and Ocoy rivers.
There are still a lot of places in the province where there is no water and electricity available.

But, slowly, life goes on.

Some grieved for the lives they lost, some are still figuring out how to bounce back from losses of home and property, while for most, moving on begrudgingly because life doesn't stop for floods.

What is heartbreaking is that, when asked, where the families will go now that the water levels of the nearby rivers are receding, most replied that they will be returning there to start again. Not for the lack of options, but because they can't afford to be anywhere else.

The outpouring of love and compassion from other people remind us that we are capable of wondrous things when faced with adversity, but maybe if we can manage to continue the goodwill beyond these times -- beyond Christmas, beyond calamities -- we can truly say that we are making the changes that we want to see in this world.

Updates for those who call Dumaguete City home:
- Tejeros and Forest Camp are run over by boulders, mud and river water
- Shorelines are still a bit muddy but regaining the deep blue color that lace our province
- More property losses than actual lives lost, but even the lesser deaths (as compared to those in Cagayan De Oro and Iligan) still count, considering there has never been anything like this in this city
- Valencia is still struggling to get water to drink (fire trucks are making their rounds in the city)
- The spillway near Foundation University still cannot be accessed at this time, as it is still overrun by the river.

The spillway

How high do you think the water went?

That infamous stranded boat is getting a once over in the still sea.