The author is a teacher Iligan City North 1 Central School. In recent months we have been very conscious of the havoc caused by Supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda last November. Great destruction was caused in parts of Mindanao in December 2011 by Severe Tropical Storm Washi/Sendong. Iligan City was one of the places most severely hit.

It only took one night for our family to experience a tragic event. Sometimes such events paralyze us and leave us broken and fragile. Many were devastated by the tragic floods caused by Typhoon Sendong. Houses were washed away, lives lost. Thousands, including my family, were victims of the floods. We are all alive, my husband, my 17-year old twins, 25-year old son and me. This is our story.

The aftermath of Sendong in Orchid Homes Subdivision, Brgy Santiago, Iligan City, where the author lives.

16 December 2011, Dep.Ed Night . . . I was one of the awardees of the Search for the Ten Most Outstanding Public School Teachers in Iligan City. Though earlier in the night the rain was very heavy the Dep.Ed night celebration continued, the presentations were great, everybody was dancing and joyously exchanging pleasantries with one another. Me? As an awardee I felt proud as did my husband. After the awarding we immediately went home and arrived at our house at Orchid Homes Subdivision, Brgy. Santiago, Iligan City, at 9:20.

I noticed that the rain wasn’t too heavy but the wind was very strong. We went to sleep. I was awakened by the noise outside our house. As I went out to see what was going on I glanced at clock. It was 12:20 midnight, 17 December. I saw no one on the street, so I went back to our bedroom and lay down, but again heard noise all over the neighborhood and a siren. So I hurriedly stood up to check what the commotion all about.