Not your ordinary day: How a 3 year old survived Typhoon Ondoy

Picture this: it’s September 2009, you’re sleeping in because it’s a Saturday and you didn’t have any classes, and the rain was pouring, which makes it the perfect time to laze around in bed. 3 year old Andi was feeling comfortable in the safety of her room at the time, without knowing that what’s happening is currently the calm before the storm; literally.

Andi was abruptly woken up at 8 AM by her mother who was frantic over the non-stop raining and the flood water starting to enter their house. Her grandmother was doing her best to sweep the water out of their house but to no avail; the flood water was much faster than them. Panicking, the kid got down from bed and started panicking after realizing the floor was almost ankle deep. Because she was a 3 year old who didn’t know any better, she unfortunately slipped on the floor, fell, and hit her head on the floor; hard. Everyone in the house - her sister, older by 3 years, her mother, and her grandmother - was worried and immediately went to her rescue. At this point, she was incoherent with her words and couldn’t describe to us what was happening to her, which led everyone in the house to worry even more. The fact that the water was fast rising too wasn’t helping, and so the family had no choice but to leave their belongings, get what they could, and immediately evacuate their home.

The family went to their next-door neighbor slash relative who was more than willing to let their house be used by them, since they were on vacation and were also stranded due to the typhoon. The water hasn’t reached their house yet, so the family was able to think of what to do about their current predicament. At this point, Andi has stopped crying and is just incredibly quiet; it was a sad sight to see. A happy-go-lucky, jolly child, suddenly this quiet and closed off, because of her fear of what’s happening to them. Add that to the fact that she hit her head hard on the floor, it was worrisome to see. Her mom and grandmother not only worried over their household, belongings, and safety, but also the welfare of the two children, especially Andi's. Her sister tried to talk to her to cheer her up over the impossible situation they’re in, and to everyone’s relief, Andi at least showed signs of replying.

By 2 in the afternoon, the water had reached inside the house they were currently in, and so they had to move quickly. Andi’s grandfather has come to their rescue by this time; after finding out they were stranded in the flood, he immediately made his way to their area to be with them. There, the grandfather found out about another place they can stay in, since the water in the area has reached an adult’s chest level already. Together, they braced the flood water and went off to the evacuation area. Andi was carried by her mother, and again, she looked like she was just in a trance; what could a 3-year old be thinking of their situation anyway? She was probably thinking it was something out of the fairytale stories she hears, and that everything will be fine at the end of the day.

The next few weeks after that were hell on Earth; their house was absolutely wrecked, and there were only a few things that were retrievable. Andi was sad to learn her dolls were ruined by the flooding, but like any other child, she got over it pretty quickly. Her mother was worried for her still; in spite of Andi looking like she was okay, she still went through a pretty traumatic event in her life that also injured her. The doctors reassured her mom that everything was alright with Andi, and so, peace of mind finally followed her.

For Andi at that time, everything felt like a fever dream. Imagine waking up to rising water on the floor, slipping, and trying to survive the entire day while it was still raining and flooding like crazy? It’s definitely an experience not every 3 year old can experience, yet Andi survived and was well after a few weeks of it. It wasn’t an ordinary day for her, and it will remain in her head for the rest of her life.