Beyond Relief: Finding Strength Through Preparedness and Community Action

Lolita Padirami, a resident of Sitio Tagumpay, Bagong Silangan since 1999, vividly remembers the devastating floods that affected their community.

She recalled experiencing severe flooding, particularly during the Typhoon Ondoy disaster, when floodwaters rose so high that the water outside their house reached waist level even while they were on the roof. Faced with fear and uncertainty, Lolita sat on top of their roof and held on to her faith. She remembered praying, “Lord, You promised that we would not be destroyed by water.” At that moment, she and her family believed that they would overcome the flood despite the danger surrounding them.

During the disaster, there were no accessible routes and no rescue teams could reach them. In those difficult circumstances, they relied on their faith in God to endure the crisis.

Over the years, many organizations provided assistance to the community. However, Lolita emphasized that, in all the years they had lived in Village of Tagumpay, CDRC was the first organization that devoted time not only to providing support but also to teaching community members how to cope with recurring floods. She noted that while they had heard many discussions about disaster preparedness, no one had previously come directly to their low-lying area to provide this kind of guidance.

Lolita also expressed her gratitude to World Jewish Relief for dedicating time, effort, and ideas to help their community. For her, the most valuable support was not temporary assistance but the knowledge and practical guidance on how people could work together and overcome flooding.

She reflected that food and other basic necessities are often provided by different organizations during emergencies. What made this support different was the emphasis on learning how communities can help one another during floods. She appreciated gaining ideas on how people can continue supporting others even when they themselves are affected by the disaster.

Lolita expressed her sincere thanks to CDRC and World Jewish Relief for providing knowledge, guidance, and opportunities for community members to learn how to work together in times of flooding.