ALBAY, Philippines – The desperation in Libon town, Albay, was palpable as villagers watched their lives drown in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Kristine (Trami).
Days after the storm, several areas in Libon remained submerged. Survivors were forced to take drastic measures, including boiling and drinking floodwater to quench their thirst and prevent dehydration.
In Libon, nature had turned daily survival into a fight against time and elements, and the long wait for relief only added to the growing despair.
The flood’s aftermath painted a scene of devastation – animal carcasses and debris floated alongside the trapped residents, and the stench of decay, mixed with mud and waste, made survival feel more like an endurance test.
Habner Quiapo, a resident of Barangay Bulusan, could only recount the horror as her home disappeared beneath the floodwaters.
“Our entire house was washed away by the raging flood, leaving nothing behind. The water was so forceful that we feared we would drown while trying to save some of our belongings,” she said.
But the rising water wasn’t the only battle they faced. With food and clean drinking water dwindling, Quiapo and her family were left with an unimaginable choice: they had to boil and drink the very floodwater that destroyed their home.
“It took a long time before we were rescued, and we had no choice but to boil the floodwater so we could have something to drink instead of being pulled into the roaring flood,” Quiapo said.
They weren’t alone. Other families, trapped for days, resorted to the same grim solution, boiling the floodwater to avoid dehydration as they waited for help to arrive.
Quiapo and her family are just one of countless families displaced by Kristine from 10 of the hardest-hit communities in the municipality, according to an assessment by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO). Data on the actual casualties are still being consolidated by the MDRRMO.
Residents estimate that it will take another days if not weeks for the floodwater to fully recede given that Libon serves as a catch basin for water flowing from adjacent towns in the third district of Albay and Bato, Camarines Sur, making it more prone to prolonged flooding.
“Because this is the waterway through which floods from nearby municipalities drain, it could take two weeks for the flood to subside. Kristine displaced many households, so it will take months for the town to recover,” said Carl Sedutan, a resident and youth volunteer who raised funds to help residents from Libon.
However, before they can begin repairing their destroyed properties, another tropical storm has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
The rainbands of Tropical Storm Leon (Kong-rey) may also bring rain to Bicol and other northern parts of Luzon. This means that any rain Leon dumps on Albay could worsen the flooding.
The province remains under a state of calamity, as many areas have been severely damaged, and most routes are either flooded or remain impassable, hampering relief efforts and the transportation of goods.
Farmers’ plea
Rice fields have turned into virtual lakes due to the flooding, prompting farmers to seek government assistance to restart their operations.
Without any other source of income, Jeanette Tumbado, 48, and Maria Clorado, 65 – both farmers for more than 20 years – lamented that the water destroyed much of their expected harvest.
They had hoped to produce 50 sacks of palay (unhusked rice) each, which they could sell for some P1,000 per sack. However, Kristine struck too quickly, before their crops were mature enough to be harvested.
“We were unable to harvest the rice in our fields before Kristine arrived, but even if we had, it would have been pointless because many of the farmers here who did had their crops inundated in water for several days, causing spoilage to the harvested crops,” Tumbado said, her voice choked with tears.
Clorado said they have yet to receive any notice of agricultural aid. She said they no longer have enough money to buy supplies to repair the field damage caused by Kristine.
“We are calling for help, hoping to regain even a portion of the capital that we lost to help us recover. We don’t have anything left to start over,” Clorado said.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Disaster Response and Reduction Management (DRRM) Operations Center, Kristine has caused some P80 million in agricultural damage, primarily in the Bicol and MIMAROPA regions.
The DA has yet to release a full and comprehensive report. – Rappler.com
Reinnard Balonzo is a senior journalism student at Bicol University-College of Arts and Letters. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024, he is also chairperson of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines-Bicol.