Their house may have been destroyed, but their family remains strong and united, and they will rise again. This is the story of Marites, 49, and her daughter Maricar, 24, residents of Sipalay City who experienced the wrath of Super Typhoon Odette.

The power was cut off. As the wind blew strong and the rain poured violently, they knew they had to evacuate. When they went home the next day, what flashed their eyes was their house submerged in waist-deep flood, the roof blown off, and broken trees scattered everywhere.

“When we saw our house destroyed, we cried. There were no words. And we didn’t know what to do,” Marites recalled, trembling as if it was the worst nightmare of her life.

Her daughter Maricar added that at that very moment, while they are disheartened to have lost everything, they are thankful to remain alive. “What’s important is that in our family, we are all alive and we are still together. The typhoon wasn’t able to destroy us.”

Their family is one of the beneficiaries of the Operation Blessing Disaster Response efforts in Sipalay City, Negros Oriental. They received food bags containing canned goods, 5 kilos of rice, coffee, and some snacks as well as a sleeping mat and a blanket.

“We are deeply grateful for your help. Thank you for including us in your program,” Maricar expressed with the confident hope that together, as a family, they will be able to rise again.

By giving at www.operationblessing.ph, you can help us help more families like Marites’. For inquiries, contact 09399215543 or 09189067753. 

 

DSWD-SB-SP-000061-2021-Nationwide. Valid until Nov 23, 2022.