November 5, 1991, November 8, 2013, and July 6, 2017 marked a significant dates to the lives or Ormocanons.
On the date of November 5, 1991, heavy rains brought about by Typhoon “Uring” triggered floods that killed thousands of people in a few hours. When this tragedy happened, I was then a second year college student at the Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA), Baybay, Leyte. If I could remember right, I was in the dormitory at that time because I did not attend my classes because of the heavy rains. At around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, we were informed that a flashflood occurred in Ormoc City. Ormocanon students were advised to go home but on the following day, because we might be stuck on the road because there might be no transportation available as it was getting dark already. Bridges were damaged, thus walking was the only way to reach Ormoc City.
On the following day at the dawn of Nov. 6, 1991, at around 3:30 in the morning we left VISCA going to Ormoc City. With me was only a little rice as my baon. We felt so tired walking barefooted because the road was muddy and slippery. I felt like dying at that moment because we were walking almost 50 kilometers, rain or shine. At around one o’clock in the afternoon, we arrived at Ormoc City proper. There I saw the city full of mud and lot of dead body scattered on the ground. You have to cross over the dead body wrapped with mud. The faces were no longer identifiable. I thanked God because when I reached home my family was all safe because we are living 36 kilometers away from the city proper.
Lourdes D. Teodosio
1991 FLASH FLOOD
After 23 years on the same month, November 8, 2013, again, we Ormocanon’s experienced again a very traumatic tragedy. We were hit by a very, very, strong typhoon Yolanda. I cannot imagine how terrible it was when the typhoon happened, on the morning of Nov. 8, 2013, strong winds were already blowing houses and we were all inside our house that time. As I looked outside, trees were already uprooted, houses were already collapsed, and others were already roofless. Our house served as an evacuation area at that time because our neighbors’ houses were all roofless thus, they ran into our house under the strong winds and heavy rains. All of us inside the house were crying and crying, and praying because of the strong, strong wind, and we thought that it was the end of our lives. After the strong wind, we saw lot of damages in our place; the houses, cars, the church, school, they were all destroyed. We felt hopeless but very thankful for we were all save from the strong typhoon. But on the following day, we went to Tacloban city because we can no longer contact our younger sister who worked there. We went there by riding only a single motorcycle. We felt worried because we didn’t have any gasoline with us and we might not reach Tacloban City. But along the highway of Capoocan, Leyte we were able to buy a gasoline at Php150/liter. Finally, we reached Tacloban City, which was very scary to look at. Dead people were found along the streets, people go here and there taking the goods in the store. I was thankful because I was able to look for my younger sister safe from the big flood.
Lourdes D. Teodosio
TYPHOON YOLANDA
Three years and eight months past, on the date of July 6, 2017 at around 4:03 PM, again I had a fearful experience of a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit again Ormoc City. On the time that the shaking happened, there was a heavy rain and I was riding a tricycle. I was at the heart of the city near Shell Gasoline station when the earthquake happened. I thought that the tricycle that I was riding had an accident because I felt dizzy and unconscious for a moment. I asked the tricycle driver of what happened to us, he answered “Linog Maam! Kusog kaayo!” And there we moved to the center of the street because there might be swaying electric post and buildings that could fall on us. Cars were left at the center of the street, and many people were panicking. When the shaking slowed down, I ran under the heavy rain going to St. Peter’s College where my son and daughter were. While on my way, going to SPC I met a lot of people running barefooted saying there was a TSUNAMI. There I cried hard and said, “Ginoo ko! Ginoo ko! Ang aho mga anak! I saw many people running towards the upper part of the city. Others were stepping up into higher buildings. But I did not go with them, instead I kept on running in spite of the said tsunami and heavy rain because my desire was to reach SPC so that I can be with my kids. There at SPC, I saw my son and daughter crying with wet clothes because all of the students were in the outer quadrangle under the rain. We hugged each other and cried. And I am so thankful to God for He always protect us from danger and any form of calamities.
Lourdes D. Teodosio
2017 EARTHQUAKE
