“EVERYTHING IS GONE”
In Laurel, a scenic town nestled near volcanic Lake Taal south of the capital Manila, AFP reporters saw roads blocked by felled trees, vehicles half-submerged in mud and homes severely damaged by flash flooding.
“We saw washing machines, cars, home equipment, roofs being swept away,” Mimie Dionela, 56, told AFP.
“We’re lucky (the rain) happened in the morning, for sure many would’ve died if it happened at night,” she said. “It was indescribable how scared we were.”
Islao Malabanan, 63, agreed he was alive only because the flood occurred during daytime, but said his family had lost everything “including our clothes”.
Jona Maulion, who started an auto repair business in Laurel less than a year ago, questioned if her family could afford to restart from scratch.
“We thought we were on the way to success in the business,” the 47-year-old said. “I didn’t know that this would happen, everything is gone.”