Image: Instagram/@cristinereyes
Cristine Reyes looked back at her “horrible” experience with the 2009 tropical storm Ondoy after waking up to an earthquake yesterday, July 24, amid typhoon Fabian.
Ondoy (international name: Ketsana), caused a month’s worth of rainfall in just six hours when it struck Marikina City and nearby cities and provinces on Sept. 26, 2009. This caused the Marikina River to rise 23 meters above sea level, causing destruction and loss of lives in 14 of the city’s 16 barangays.
One of the celebrities not spared by the storm was Reyes, who got stuck on her home’s roof with her family because of flash floods.
“Living on top of a building and then waking up with an earthquake made me jump out of my bed feeling so terrified,” the actress said on her Instagram page yesterday, July 24. She added that the weather “gives [her] anxiety” and it made her remember the damage caused by Ondoy.
“I have seen people got locked up trying to break their own windows and heard people screaming for help until you hear them no more. Some drowned and some like me [were] able to swim fast whilst assisting my precious little nieces, little sister and my mom,” she recalled.
Reyes recounted how her family climbed on their home’s roof while baby snakes and rats clung to their bodies, saying the experience was “horrible and traumatic.”
Looking back, Reyes told fans that she would often turn to prayers when things got out of her control.
“Bihira ako manalangin pero naiiyak ako kasi kahit minsan lang ako lumapit palagi siyang andyan. Palagi niya akong sinasamahan,” she said. “Siya talaga ang sandalan nating lahat.”
(I rarely pray but I want to cry because although I don’t often approach [God], he’s always there. He’s always with me. We can really lean on him.)
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology announced that a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck 16 kilometers southwest of Calatagan, Batangas around 4:49 a.m. yesterday. There were no reported damages or casualties.
This comes as typhoon Fabian poured rains on different parts of the country while it headed out of the Philippine area of responsibility. JB
RELATED STORIES:
Cristine Reyes wins best actress in leading European film festival
Ruru Madrid visits childhood neighborhood in Marikina, provides aid to typhoon victims