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Maria Beresa Obias, 19, of Barangay Basud in Polangui town in Albay realized that rescuers could not immediately come for her family, she sprang into action.
With her 24-year-old brother at her side, she began tearing apart the roof of their one-story house around 7 p.m. on Tuesday as floodwaters started rising amid the unrelenting rains brought by Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami).
Determined, Obias knew they had to move to higher ground as the water was already waist-deep in the neighborhood.
By 10 p.m., they had moved their 87-year-old grandmother, six nephews and nieces, including an 8-month-old baby, and her three siblings to the roof. A big plastic basin also proved useful in keeping the little ones above water.
“When our neighbors heard us removing the roof, they allowed us to transfer to their place and enter through the window on the second floor. They took in three other families,” Obias told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Wednesday.
They spent the night at their neighbor’s two-story house in soaked clothes and without any food, and were only rescued around 7 a.m. the following day.
Local disaster management offices and responders in many parts of Bicol were swamped by calls for help posted on social media.
Gremil Alexis Naz, spokesperson of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol, said the office staff and those in the field were simply “overwhelmed.
