For some families in Mati City, it’s safer outside than at home after the quakes
MADANG, Mati City (MindaNews / 12 October) – At least 30 families were still camped by the side of the Diversion Road here two days after a doublet magnitude 7.4 and 6.9 earthquake struck Manay, Davao Oriental last Friday.
MindaNews chanced upon the families still camped up by the road as the news team was on its way back to Davao City on Sunday.
On Friday night, hundreds of cars lined up in the dark of the Golden Valley, their passengers seeking refuge inside tents.
Some of the residents came from as far as Purok Malinawon II in Calagundian, Barangay Central.
In an interview, couple Arnold Avenido, 43, and Mera Avenido, 49, said they were camped along with 10 children aged 7 to 17, as well as a 19-, 20-, and 21-year-old.
Arnold said they didn’t feel safe in their house as it is located next to one which was heavily damaged by the quakes since last Friday.
It didn’t help that the houses are near the shore.
Arnold was at the Mati City Hall when the earthquake struck Friday morning. He hurried home after the shaking stopped.
Mera, for her part, was cooking meals for the students headed to school.
“Nalisang ko, wala na ko makatindog (I was frightened, I couldn’t stand up),” she said.
The couple, who were seated in their tricycle sidecar during the interview, said they felt much safer outdoors than being near the shoreline, fearing a tsunami.
But the Golden Valley had its share of troubles, too.
They could not place a foam to make their sleep comfortable during rainy weather, as it would soak from rainwater.
The couple said they had to dig canals around their tents, made from makeshift tarps, some of which were donated by neighbors to help fit their huge family.
Ronald said they were hoping the local government here would decide with finality about whether it was safe to go back. He said the Golden Valley felt safer.
The other families camped in the area would alternate between staying at the campsite and coming home to gather more things, cook, prepare food or whatever was left, and freshen up, as there was at times running water.
Arnold works as a tricycle driver and is sometimes hired as an extra laborer by City Hall.
Mera, for her part, cooks food for extra income. “Buwan-buwan lang sir kung naa eh… mag-drive siya, magluto ko.”
In the past three days, the families at the roadside have had to rely on the kindness of strangers, with local social workers focusing their services on official evacuation centers.
On Saturday, Oct. 11, a family gave them a bag of rice, but Arnold wasn’t sure whether this was a private citizen or a government worker.
The rest of the families would fend for themselves.
There’s no power in the area, and the family had no working phone, which would at least enable them to receive updates about government aid.
Across the street, pebbles and debris littered the road a little as random aftershocks had hit Mati City since Friday.
For the Avenidos, they would rather stay and endure the heat rather than risk it back at home. (Yas D. Ocampo/MindaNews)
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