SAN DIONISIO, ILOILO – Survivors recall the fear they experienced, three months after Typhoon Agaton [MEGI] brought tremendous damage to the communities, crops, livelihoods, and houses of the people in the Western Visayas region.

The massive flooding brought by Agaton in the province of Iloilo caused damage to agriculture of almost half-a-billion pesos, according to NDRRMC. 

Amongst severely affected towns was San Dionisio in the province of Iloilo. According to NDRRMC, almost 10,000 families (more than 35,000 individuals) were affected and displaced by Agaton.

Melly Alayon, 77, a resident of Barangay Tiabas, and the Dela Cruz family of Barangay Siempreviva are among the 35,000 individuals affected by Typhoon Agaton in San Dionisio, Iloilo.

As a senior citizen, Nanay Melly relies on her children’s support. In order to minimize their expenses, Nanay Melly also plants vegetables as their source of food.

Meanwhile, Flor Dela Cruz is a senior citizen who attends to the needs of her husband who is a senior citizen and a person with disability. When attacked by epilepsy, Flor also helps his son, Judito Dela Cruz, Jr.

When Typhoon Agaton came last April 2022, Nanay Melly and Nanay Flor recalled their experiences and how it brought them back to their experiences when Typhoon Yolanda [Haiyan] hit their communities.

“When Typhoon Agaton came, we did not evacuate. However, the wind at that time was so strong! The sound is comparable to that of an airplane passing by,” said Nanay Melly as she shared her experience during Typhoon Agaton.

Nanay Melly added that she is fortunate enough that her house is surrounded by trees and mountains, which protected them against the strong winds. However, Nanay Melly added, that Typhoon Agaton also brought floods as rainfall lasted for days. “I saw from our house that the people residing along and near the creek evacuated to the Barangay Hall because of the flood,” said Nanay Melly.

“We were just inside our house when Typhoon Agaton came,” said Nanay Flor. “However, the fear I felt, especially with the sound of the wind, brings me back to the fear I felt during Typhoon Yolanda. I didn’t know what to do that time,” Nanay Flor added.

Nanay Flor said that due to the wind brought by Agaton, the roof in their kitchen was destroyed. Meanwhile, Nanay Melly shared that the houses of her children, who evacuated to her house, were all destroyed by Agaton.

“We are very thankful for the assistance you gave us,” said Nanay Melly pertaining to the Relief Assistance delivered by PCDR, through the support of Citizen’s Disaster Response Center, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, and i-Volunteer Philippines.

Last July 12, 2022, a total of 300 households [1,300+ individuals] received food packs composed of rice, mung beans, dried fish, cooking oil, and sardines, as well as sleeping mats.