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Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines: From Chaos To Blessing, September 28, 2009

Typhoon Ondoy slammed into the Philippines last weekend and dumped more rain in six hours than is usual for a month. Floodwaters reached high and destroyed homes, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. As of last count, 160 people had died and scores of others were injured and homeless.

Our Sisters in the Philippines were not spared. Below is an account from Sr. Regina Victoria of the typhoon and its aftermath.

If you would like to send a donation to help the Sisters help the typhoon victims, you may send it to:

Religious of the Assumption

Attention: Sr. Nuala Cotter, RA

11 Old English Road

Worcester, MA 01609

Please make checks payable to Religious of the Assumption and write "Philippine Typhoon Fund" in the memo line. Your donation will be acknowledged and is tax deductible.

Let us keep the people of the Philippines and all victims of natural disasters in our prayer.

From Sr. Regina Victoria in the Philippines:

Day 1, Sept. 27, 2009

I’d like to share briefly my personal experience of this unprecedented deluge all over Metro Manila that turned our city into an ocean in less than 6 hours of heavy rainfall. The weather station says that what happened in 1969 in 24 hours happened yesterday in six hours!....The Sisters of the Novitiate moved to the third floor as the water already destroyed the gate and got into the first floor. Our Antipolo sisters were stranded in Cainta, stayed overnight in a fastfood restaurant (no way to get home!) and reached Antipolo only this afternoon. They started relief operations right away.

The Novitiate has been devastated. Our sisters are safe, but the ground floor will need restoration. In Malibay, our alumnae started a water and food brigade so we were able to deliver emergency goods to around 300 families. Everywhere people were cleaning up muddy houses, and so were we in our compound. Anyone’s heart would break at the sight of the damage in the school: books, computers, etc. floating in mud. We just decided to discard many things and build up the library and ground floor again. No water, no telephone lines, no electricity, but no complaints. All worked in joy even with background music from transistor radios. The same situation in Magallanes. This typhoon attacked all sectors of the city. From chaos to blessing is what I call this day. Shared experience of material loss, of mutual care and help, of lightheartedness ran through everywhere. Malibay and Magallanes had no Mass today, Sunday, as the churches had to be cleaned up from layers of mud as well. But the music and laughter everywhere are just as present. I felt that the people were celebrating the Eucharist in the streets and in their neighborhood all day. I am sure their Eucharistic celebrations in church will be more meaningful in the days to come.

We started to receive local & international calls; Family Councils & Alumnae are coming tomorrow. So we’ve organized ourselves in San Lorenzo for better coordination with our sister communities and other Makati-based schools for the relief operations this week. It is so touching to know so many care and we want that care to reach as many as possible. San Simon is all right, so is Boni.

Day 2, Sept. 28

Today, San Lorenzo was a sea of solidarity. Hundreds of families came to bring goods and lend vehicles to assure that these goods reach as many as possible in Malibay. All gave themselves in great generosity to assure that packages were enough for the day’s needs. By early afternoon, we had more than expected so that we are able to share with Antipolo and San Simon who are also ministering to their neighboring villages. This evening the Ayala-Zobels brought kitchen packages (gas stove and utensils) that will be given to the 500 most direly affected families of Malibay. Really, I can say I’ve seen a glimpse of the Kingdom today! Pinky Valdes presided over the whole operation: students, parents, alumnae, friends, personnel and sisters who worked in a very organized and joyful manner. The same atmosphere reigned in Malibay the whole day.

In Malibay many of us really cried to see a mountain of books and school materials go to the garbage heap. Our sister Silvia coudn’t stop crying as more things went to the dump truck because we can no longer restore them. But the good news is our children and their families are alive and they have the will and the hope to recover soon. I know God is here and will see them through because there are people who care. Today around 650 families were served and tomorrow we expect around 800.

I had time to visit our Little Sisters of the Assumption in the other side of Malibay. They are well and Margaret has access to the internet around the corner already, so she can communicate to her sisters. Isla, where they live, is in a very bad state. They lost one of the schoolchildren in the flood. Pleasepray for them, too. We share what we have with them and the Assumption Fathers are also helping them

Pag-Asa, our weather bureau just announced two incoming typhoons within the week. Please help us storm heaven. Hope with us that they will not fall, and if they do, that they will not bring more damage. Tonight Ondoy’s death toll is at 160 with thousands still missing in Metro Manila alone. I don’t have the figures of other provinces. God must have something in store for our nation in this great purification.

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Scenes from Typhoon Ondoy