CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Alfonsa Adlawan, 34, noticed that the rains and winds were getting stronger. With a sense of fear brimming in her chest, she was alarmed when she saw the sudden rise of floodwaters.

Immediately, she went out to tell her relatives and neighbors that they needed to evacuate to higher ground, but her cries landed on deaf ears.

Running in haste with her father, mother, and nephew, they headed to the marketplace. They left their house and possessions without looking back. And with heavy hearts, they left their friends and relatives behind.

In mere seconds, the flood was already chest-high and the water current was very strong. Sweet April Luciana, 24, and her family could not believe what was happening. Houses around them were already being swept away.

Suddenly, they heard the foundations of their house give out. The next thing they knew, they were being swept to the open sea while trapped inside their house.

How will Alfonsa and Luciana’s harrowing ordeal end? Find out HERE how Operation Blessing helped these mothers survive Sendong.

A week has already passed since that terrible night in Cagayan de Oro. The monstrous floods that claimed lives and properties in a blink of an eye and left hundreds of families homeless. 

Lines upon lines of people sleeping on sidewalks, waiting sheds, establishments, and street corners. They had nothing to protect them from the hard floor and the cold air. Some were huddled together in a vain attempt to keep warm.

This is how Operation Blessing’s idea of a “night relief” was born. OB gave relief packs to people sleeping on the streets. And the best time to do it was at night, when many of them are scouting for places to sleep on.

Find out more about OB’s night relief in this blog.

Operation Blessing is rallying more generous hearts to help rebuild lives, homes, and communities severely affected by Sendong.

After several weeks of relief missions in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, OB is keen on bringing rehabilitative programs that will dramatically improve the lot of the tropical storm’s worst-hit victims.

You can donate to OB’s continuous relief efforts through various methods:

• via credit card: Visit www.obphil.com/sendong and click the DONATE NOW button

• via bank: Deposit your donation to Metrobank Account 007-233-544716

• via ML Kwarta Padala: Visit any M. Lhuillier branch nationwide. Fill out a Customer’s Information Sheet with your full name, address, contact number, and the amount of your donation. Make sure to indicate “The 700 Club” as the recipient and “OB Disaster Relief” as the purpose of transaction. Submit the accomplished form to the counter together with your donation.

Donations in-kind are also accepted at OB’s headquarters at C5 Road corner Retelco Drive, Bagong Ilog, Pasig City.

For more details, call Operation Blessing at (02) 477-7802 or (02) 477-7806; or the 24/7 CBN Asia Prayer Center at (02) 810-7176 or (02) 810-7717.

You can also text 0920-497-5558 (Smart), 0917-581-2603 (Globe), 0922-803-6922 (Sun).