#GlendaPH’s wrath in Laguna

LAGUNA, Philippines — It’s like Typhoon Milenyo all over again. Glenda was predicted to make landfall Tuesday night, July 15, in the Bicol Region and early Wednesday morning, July 16, in Southern Luzon. Nobody living along Glenda’s path of destruction slept a wink that night.

The wrath of the unforgiving winds blew off roofs, uprooted trees, tore down houses, and broke electric and lamp posts. The torrential rain flooded rice fields, made creeks and rivers overflow, penetrated houses, and drenched thousands of homeless typhoon victims.

In Bay, Laguna, where residents experience regular flooding during the typhoon season, it seems nothing had prepared them for this nightmare.

The roof of Analee Medina, a 52-year-old teacher, had been completely torn from her house, and floodwaters are knee-deep inside. Her family did not have the chance to salvage their furniture and other things, and they are all submerged in the murky water.

Elmerito Villagracia lives in a compound with other relatives. His house was made of light materials, and it was severely damaged – his concrete wall leaning precariously, waiting to collapse. They plan to spend the next few nights in another relative’s house.

The home of Juanita Pantas had a portion of the roof peeled off. However, all of her family’s things got wet. A relative arrives and offers to help fix their roof. Their dirty dishes are piled on a table beside the door, together with other things.

Fifty-year-old widow Maria Lapitan had most of the roof of her house blown off. She and her children tied parts of their roof to some columns, but the wind proved to be too strong. All their clothes, sheets, mattresses, and couches were soaked.

With the severe damage done by Glenda, it would take weeks to restore electricity and water supply. But we are a resilient people. And just hours into the aftermath, residents clean up their surroundings, repair their houses, chitchat with the neighbors, and buy their supplies from the market. Life goes on.

– Rappler.com