Ondoy Relief Operations Report: Phase 2
Posted by:
in the category
More than the news reports, listening to the students and parents’ stories about what it was like during Ondoy made us realize that our participants needed more than just rice and canned goods. They needed a venue to let out all the different emotions and experiences Ondoy had brought on.
Thus, after distributing the initial relief packs, our next objective was to reach out to the most affected participants and try to help them through the healing and recovery process. Our goal was to help them transform their view of themselves from victims to that of survivors of Ondoy.
Debriefing sessions are conducted to reduce the likelihood of post-traumatic stress disorders and other psychological problems that may arise after one experiences major loss or suffering. Ondoy definitely qualified as such an experience.
At first, we felt helpless as we were not equipped to handle crisis situations like these. Thankfully, we were accommodated by the Ateneo Psychology Department who conducted a special session on Post-Trauma Counseling for children and adults. Here, Dr. Liane Alampay, Dr. Gina Hechanova and the very supportive faculty from the Psychology department helped us understand the important and sensitive task at hand. To our newfound friends at the Psychology department – thank you so much for generously sharing your time and talent with us!
Pathways then conducted debriefing sessions from October 17 to 25 covering a total of 292 families (219 student and 73 parent participants). From there, we were able to identify 28 individuals who will need further counseling and guidance, but who we are happy to report slowly on their way to recovery as well.
So much can be heard from what they didn’t say
We only realized the severity of the impact on our participants when we finally met with them. during these sessions. At the beginning, most of the students were shy and didn’t really talk about Ondoy much. They hid their emotions with faint smiles, some joked around, but much could be noticed from what they didn’t say.
When we asked them to “Paint Me a Picture of Ondoy”, here is where we saw how the students’ really felt about the typhoon. We had students who chose to write about it and boy, were we surprised. When normally, it would be hard to get them to write anything on paper, now, they immediately poured their hearts out on the blank pieces of paper. The words and thoughts just flowed freely. The healing had begun.
Putting up a strong front
We got an even better picture of what happened when we met with their parents. They were more candid in narrating their blow by blow account of what happened – seeing roofs, appliances and even entire houses washed away right before their eyes, destroying the ceilings to be able to escape the flood, moving from their house to a two-story house, to a three-story house in order to escape the rising waters, of being drenched and on the roof until early morning of the following day.
They were also able to share their feelings of great fear and panic as the waters started rising quickly inside their very homes, their worry for family members who were not with them at the time; some shared the guilt they felt because they were not home to help their families at the time.
The stories just kept going on and on. Each story was just as harrowing as the next. A number of them really physically aged in just a matter of days from our last meeting with them! We never realized how one can age so fast in just a matter of one day.
For most, it was their first time to be able to share their feelings and stories. Being parents, they had to always put up a strong front for the sake of their children. Right after Ondoy, there were so many urgent things to attend to – securing food for the family, salvaging what was left of their homes and belongings, cleaning up all the mud and flood water that have stayed in their homes, among others. They hardly had time to stop and just process their thoughts and feelings about what just happened.
The debriefing sessions provided them the opportunity to be away from their homes, even just for a while and meet up with other Pathways parents who also experienced the same thing – to share stories, to validate each other’s feelings and to just feel each other’s support.
The sessions end with a culminating activity where the participants share their vision for their family and community for 2010. There were many realizations, some of which are:
- To always be prepared
- To live simply and lessen the clutter in their homes and in their lives (!)
- To not only take better care of the environment on their own, but also become staunch advocates teaching other communities the lessons they have assimilated in Marikina (such as waste segregation, not littering, etc)
- To not wait for something like Ondoy to make peace with estranged family members or friends and most importantly,
- To know what is truly valuable in this world – family and good health, everything else can be recovered in time.
- And lastly, to always have faith and believe in the power of prayer
Click for more pictures of the debriefing sessions
The participants also thanked Pathways for always being there for them. They greatly appreciated the text messages of concern as well as the relief packs and now, the debriefing sessions that made them feel cared for.
It was indeed a week full of stories, of tears but also of light moments, of immense resilience and much hope for after a terrible storm, always comes a brighter tomorrow.
We would not have been able to conduct the debriefing sessions if it were not for our resource persons and volunteers. Thank you so much! (Please click to see full list of volunteers)
