A Clean Home and a Thankful Smile

contributed by Jojo Saballero 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Basco family was asleep when the catastrophic flood brought by tropical storm Sendong swept through the Cagayan River. They were woken up by the commotion and frantic shouts of people fleeing and yelling to their neighbors to evacuate.

Tony, the head of the family, recalled them shouting, “Panghawa na mo sa inyong mga balay kay taas na kaayo ang tubig sa suba! (Evacuate and leave your house now, because the water in the river is rising fast!)”

Just minutes later, the waters rose furiously that the flood outside their house was already knee-high and still rising.

Never been in their whole life has the Basco family encountered such a destructive flashflood. In the middle of the night, Tony, his wife Celestina, and their children fled to safer ground with nothing but only the clothes on their backs.

The next morning, Tony and Celestina returned to their house, expecting a great damage. But what shocked them was the mud and garbage the settled inside and outside their home.

For almost two weeks, cleaning their house and hauling off dirt and mud almost consumed the Basco family’s strength. That’s why the tired look on Tony’s face eased up when volunteers from Operation Blessing, local churches, and local groups offered to clean up their home for free.

With a smile that brightens the day, volunteers from Operation Blessing, International Disaster Response Network (IDRN), Kagayan Evangelical Disaster Response Network (KEDRN), and local churches rolled up their sleeves and got soiled and dirty just to help the Basco family.

The support you gave in purchasing materials and tools for the cleanup drive has exhibited love and heartfelt concern for affected 200-plus households in Cagayan de Oro. Their smiles, just like Tony’s, were enough to say “Thank you!”

MORE THAN 52,000 THANKS TO YOU!

As of January 19, close to 52,000 Sendong-affected victims are grateful to you—because you chose to support Operation Blessing’s various disaster relief activities. All of them say a heartfelt “Thank you!”