By the River Jal-o Damulot Wept Over a Wet Blanket

A historic high, however one might take it, is what the inundation of the Jal-o River yesterday morning is all about (by Balete's standard). Here are some of the factors to consider this assertion:

   a. No storm was forecasted by the PAG-ASA; a night before, only an inter-tropical convergence zone was reported to have been spotted off the Surigao provinces;

   b. A sustained downpour for the entire morning of November 15 and sporadic rains in the afternoon;

   c. Flashflood soaked the low lying portions of the Poblacion and the floodplains of the contiguous barangays along the Jal-o in a matter of time;

   d. Fatal landslides took place in several barangays, notably in Barangay Feliciano (God bless the soul of Herminia Cuales);

   e. The raging waters washed out several houses abutting the banks of the Jal-o, forcing more than a hundred souls to seek refuge at the Uphill, my friend Lagumbay and his entire household included;

   f. Hundreds of motorists (and perhaps, a thousand commuters or more) were stranded on both sides of the winding Jal-o and its tribuaries, causing historic monstrous traffic from midday until nighttime--in Feliciano, Calizo, Morales, Poblacion and Aranas;

   g. My neighbor, Benjie, reported to have cooked several layers of eggs and sold them out with hot coffees to hungry stranded motorists. Other enterprising souls found myriad of ways helping out the commuters;

  h. The Sangguniang Bayan in a special session today declared based on the recommendation of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Development Council the entire municipality under a state of calamity.

      As I surveyed my neighborhood yesterday, a weary farmer named Damulot approached me pleading, "You gotta take a photograph of my submerged house. You ought to have proof to show to Mayor that I'm a victim of this calamity." "Ok," I assured him, "I'll take a photo of it". After having attended to his request, I moved about to inspect other areas but he followed me up and went about lamenting. "Oh, my clothings and blankets are all wet. Where shall I rest my head and that of my family tonight? Alas, my TV is soaked with flood water. I've seen to it that the water won't reached it. I was busy attending to other chores and I did'nt notice that the water level rose so fast.  Also, see, my chickens are all dead. They were a stubborn lot. I've already helped them find some branches to rest, but they opted for the barn. Now, they join innumerable lots floating lifeless down the Jal-o."

Hayra, Damulot, ro ing baeay. Sa Facebook eot a. Hambae ni Engr kaina pagkatapos na it ocular inspection hay sangkiri man land a damage. Ag hambae pa gid ku ing unga hay sambilog man lang kuno ing manok nga alaga. Pero bisan pa, may bulig man gihapon kimong ma-abot. (Here is your house, Damulot. It is already posted in Facebook. The municipal engineer in his ocular inspection noted that it is not totally damaged. Also, your son revealed that you only have one hen, no more no less. Even then, the local government will help you out recover from your sad plight.)