6 days and counting down

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Days left before Christmas: 6 days 0 hours 2 minutes and counting down

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It just sank in.

Our little town was hit by a tropical storm on Saturday, December 17, 2011. A flash flood swept away homes and killed many people who are mostly elderly, children, and babies.

My heart is aching right now because of this tragedy.

Although the area that we live in wasn't affected. But when you see people lose their homes and loved ones, you cannot help but really be emotional about it.

For now, there are more than a hundred dead persons and 200 more are still missing.

Last Friday, there was a forecast on the news regarding tropical storm Sendong/Washi to hit Mindanao (the southern island of the Philippines). The news did not include Iligan City as part of the area which was likely to be hit by the storm. Unfortunately on Saturday evening (around 11 PM) while everyone was fast asleep, the storm crept in and washed away the homes near the rivers.

People in our city are not threatened by rain since we have a mountainous terrain. And, we were never affected by any storm. Our rivers have overflowed but never like this. This is the first time that our city experienced this kind of tragedy.

For now, I could not dare to post any photos that we have taken, nor write about any other details about my experience. I am still too overwhelmed to write everything.

Earlier today, we gave out food, water, and clothing to evacuees.

The auditorium where I attended college was turned into an evacuation site. When I got in, I was not pleased with what I saw. It was very heart-wrenching. There were lots of babies who needed aid.

For now, I do not want to eat in expensive restaurants because all I can think of are those who needed food. Every time I open the faucet, I feel guilty if I waste water because those people in the evacuation sites needed it more.

I know I already did what I can to help yet it still does not take away the sadness caused by this great mishap.

If anyone of you is reading this, I am knocking at your hearts to share your love for my fellow Filipinos who needed help. There are various ways that you can help, and your dollar will go a long way.

Just a note though, your help will not go to my pocket. It will go directly to agencies who are hosting the relief operations.

By the way, here a link from CNN: http://bit.ly/rTUUZ4

If you are willing to help you can check out Iligan Bloggers Society for more information. You can send your donations through Paypal. You can also check out their Facebook page for updates: http://on.fb.me/vbsEzV.

Let's all share our blessings in this season of giving. May you have a merry Christmas.

God bless you and your families.