PBA legend and Ormoc native Rey Evangelista opens up on Yolanda experience

 

PBA legend Rey Evangelista took a trip down the memory lane when Purefoods retired his jersey before Manila Clasico last Sunday. 

 

But more than celebrating his legacy in the league, the basketball player was also doing a different kind of remembering — the date was November 9, a year and a day after the strongest typhoon in history struck his home province.

 

Evangelista was in Ormoc City, Leyte with his family when super typhoon Yolanda made landfall on November 8, 2013. Like many residents of the region, which lies directly on the path of storms forming from the Pacific Ocean, they are used to dealing with harsh weather disturbances several times a year.

 

Thus, when the Yolanda forecast warned of winds with speeds reaching up to 300 kilometers per hour, Evangelista and his family saw no need to vacate their home and seek shelter in evacuation centers.

 

"We felt safe naman sa bahay," Evangelista said, thinking that their house was built well enough to withstand Yolanda's wrath. "Nasanay na rin kami sa bagyo dun e."

 

The former Purefoods star, along with his wife Ailynn and their eight-year-old twin daughters, carried on with their lives as usual with no worries about the impending typhoon. They had no idea of the catastrophe that was to come.

 

"Hindi nga kami bumili ng pagkain to prepare," Evangelista said.

 

But when the full force of Yolanda's winds reached land, the family quickly realized the severity of the situation. One-fourth of their roofing was damaged, the windows were shattered, the fences blown away, and the whole house was drenched in rain water. Evangelista, however, was still thankful that Ormoc was fortunately spared from storm surges that killed thousands and destroyed homes in Tacloban.

 

Greatest trial

 

The family would face its greatest trial in the morning of November 8 during the height of the typhoon. As Yolanda wreaked havoc outside, they sought shelter by the stairs between their two bedrooms. But as Ailynn stood up to move her two daughters to another location with the direction of the winds changing, she was hit in the head by a piece of wood and collapsed. She was bleeding.

 

"Mabilis kasi ang pangyayari e," Evangelista said when asked to recount the situation. "Nakita ko lang siya na nabiyak na 'yung skin niya sa ulo."

 

The wood, which was about one and a half meters long and two inches by five inches thick, probably came from a destroyed house. It tore a hole in the roof, passed through their ceiling, and then bounced off a wall before hitting his wife.

 

"Dumaan nga sa harap ko e," the Purefoods legend said. "Hindi ko akalain na ganun pala kalaking kahoy 'yun.

 

"Para siyang rocket na pumasok sa bahay."

 

With the typhoon still raging outside, the family could not risk take Ailynn to the hospital. More roofing sheets and wood were getting knocked down and flying around. It was too dangerous. They had no choice but to put her in bed and apply some ice on her forehead while waiting for the storm to calm down and get medical attention for his wife.

 

Evangelista was relieved that his daughters, who sat beside his wife when she took the blow to the head, did not suffer from injuries. "Buti hindi rin natamaan 'yung mga anak ko," he said.

 

After the storm

 

Six hours later, when the worst of the storm passed, they braved the rain and finally took her to the hospital where her wound was treated and closed up with stitches.

 

In the aftermath of the storm, the family had to buy food from the limited supply of local sari-sari stores. A deep well provided a source for water for the community. Overall, Evangelista was glad they did not have to resort to looting in order to survive.

 

Later, the family decided to go to Cebu to get his wife checked by specialists. They learned that Ailynn suffered a fracture in the skull and had to take high dosages of antibiotics for a month to prevent bacterial infection. She also suffered slight retina detachment due to the impact of the wood to her head, but has since recovered from her injuries.

 

"Sa tulong din ng Diyos, nare-recover na rin," Evangelista said.

 

One year later, as Evangelista received his Purefoods jersey and relived his glorious moments in the hardcourt, he admitted he was still haunted by Yolanda's devastation.

 

"Pag may mga bagyo nagkakaroon na ako ng trauma kasi baka ganun na naman kalakas," he said. "Nakakatakot nang maulit kasi na-experience mo 'yung ganun ka-destructive 'yung typhoon."

 

Like many other survivors, the basketball player was humbled by the experience of the typhoon.

 

"No one was spared sa bagyo," he said. "Talagang lahat affected."

 

Indeed, Yolanda affected everyone. Fisherfolk, students, workers, politicians. Even basketball legends. — JST, GMA News