Timely advice from a flood veteran (who also writes).

from an experienced flood victim
By Gwendolyn So

Unbeknownst to many, my family and I are experts when it comes to flooding.
By this I mean that for almost 10 years when we lived in a low part of Sto.
Domingo Street in Quezon City , we experienced flooding INSIDE the house at
least once a year and if I remember correctly, sometimes it was twice or
even thrice a year.

The first time it happened we were in shock, but as it happened more and
more it became routine. Here are some nuggets of wisdom that may help:

1. I learned that once the water reaches knee level, the gates can't be
opened anymore because of the water pressure. We thought we still had time
to take the cars out but realized we were trapped. That time our cars
submerged. Make sure you know which area near your residence is considered
higher ground and take your cars there EARLY.

2. Do not despair so much if your cars submerge. They can be fixed. It's
expensive and takes a long time for the smell to go away, but it's not the
end of the world. After the flood, just let the car dry. We were still able
to use our Hi-Ace and Mitsubishi Lancer despite their having been half
submerged in floodwaters.

3. I learned that heavy stuff, like the ref and shelves, FLOAT. So every
year from then on, we would TIE DOWN heavy appliances like the ref (too
heavy to carry upstairs but in latter years we did lug it all the way up to
the 2nd floor), the big shelves with wedding souvenirs and knick knacks and
my dad's collection of wine. How did we do that? Tie them to the windows.

4. Adrenalin will give you superpowers once you decide you're not afraid of
a little water and start saving what you can. In my case, it was my
collection of books. They're not rare first editions but regular books.
However, I love my books and I'm not letting them drown! I was able to move
and carry our heavy sofa powered by my body's own adrenalin hormone.

5. You can have fun in the midst of disaster so I took out our cameras and
starting taking pictures. It was to make everyone have a good laugh as we
surveyed the chaos around us, the cockroaches and rats swimming by, the
black inky spots of oily stuff occasionally floating around.

6. Apparently, no matter how much you're enjoying yourself frolicking in
the water and saving what you can, once the cold water reaches your chest
(especially your nipples), you start to shiver and it gets hard to breathe.
This is the time to give up and go upstairs.

7. If your electricity stays on, go to the switch box and turn off all the
electric outlets downstairs but not upstairs.

8. Cleaning after the flood is a pain. Once the waters recede, you are left
with mud everywhere. They stick so you have to get the hose and start using
the walis tingting (how do you say this in English? It's a broom made of
just think twigs/sticks tied together in a thick bundle). You just keep the
water running and sweep, sweep, sweep like there's no tomorrow.

9. You must scrub the walls with disinfectant. If you only rinse with
water, it will still smell. We used Lysol. Scrub, scrub, scrub like there's
no tomorrow.

10. First time water got inside our house, we didn't know we had to use
Lysol and that the drying process is super vital. So, after a few days,
there was this nauseating smell and later we found molds growing
everywhere! We had returned the furniture and appliances to their normal
places and the walls behind grew molds. Yuck!!!

11. We were still able to use our ref that floated in flood waters. Just
clean and clean and dry and dry.

12. Once electricity is available, get out all your fans and dry everything
thoroughly.

13. Yes, paint will peel off and wooden drawers and shelves deform. Salvage
what can be used. Once they dry, it's still ok but sometimes the drawers
get stuck because the wood expanded so you have no choice but to destroy it
because icky water is still trapped inside.

14. Wait at least 2 to 3 days to dry everything. Use fans and hairdryers.
Do not, I repeat, do not be in a hurry to return stuff you saved to their
original places.

15. Have this mindset: Ah, it's good Im now forced to do a general cleaning
of my house. Now I have no choice but to do it.

It is easy to go insane after this kind of calamity, to despair of the
material things we lost (especially the cars), but please be thankful you
got away with your life and that of your family and loved ones