Stranded at NAIA Terminal 3 for 15hours due to typhoon Ondoy

September 26, 2009, Saturday, we went to NAIA Terminal 3 at 9 am to fetch my mother who’s arriving from Kalibo, Aklan. On our way to the airport around 8 am, it was already raining hard and some roads going to the airport were starting to get flooded but still passable. At 10:27 am, Cebu Pacific flight 5J 332 arrived and minutes later, we’re all ready to go home to Caloocan. From NAIA Terminal 3, we will go to Airport Road, Domestic Road, MIA Road and Macapagal Avenue to get to Caloocan. It’s 11 am when we left the airport and the situation inside is still peaceful.

inside the NAIA Terminal 3, 9 am
inside the NAIA Terminal 3, 9 am

Outside, it was raining very hard and visibility when driving is difficult. But still we were able to manage despite the heavy rains up until Andrews Avenue corner Airport Road,  that’s where the situation gets ugly. The cars and trucks already turned off their engines and some were parked at the nearest gas station because the flood in Domestic Road corner Airport Road is waist-deep and not passable.

After being stucked in the road for 3 hours, Jeff decided to go back to T3, eat lunch since we’re already hungry and wait for a few hours till flood subsided. Little did we know that we’re going to stay a little longer and the situation in Metro Manila is worse than expected.

At the food court of the airport, lots of stranded passengers were there waiting for their cancelled flights and also to eat lunch. All chairs were taken and some people just sat on the floor to eat. Some food chains like Jollibee and Yellow Cab were already closed because food were already sold out. Long lines at other stores such as Dimsum n Dumplings, Kopi Roti, Mister Donut and Mini Stop, people were buying food and mineral water.

stranded passengers at NAIA Terminal 3
stranded passengers at NAIA Terminal 3
people lining up at Dimsum n Dumplings
people lining up at Dimsum n Dumplings

Since it’s still raining outside and text messages from friends told us that it’s still flooded around Metro Manila, we decided to sleep at the airport and wait for the floods to subside and the rain to stop. Well, that’s also the plan of other passengers who are also at the airport at that time. We began to look for a nice place, or should I say “floor” to sleep on since all chairs were taken. Some opted to stay near the electricity outlets so that they can charge their phones or laptops. Some stayed behind the stairs, as for us, we slept at the departure area where its quieter. The airport management, knowing that there will be plenty of people who will be staying for the night, distributed cardboard boxes to protect from the super cold floors.

cardboards distributed at the airport
cardboards distributed at the airport
stranded passengers at the airport
stranded passengers at the airport

But this guy sought comfort from his hammock….

the guy used his hammock to rest
the guy used his hammock to rest

At 3:30 am the next day, flights were seem to be back to normal and so we decided to go home as well. Fortunately, floods subsided in the areas of Airport Road, Domestic Road, MIA Road, Macapagal Avenue, Roxas Blvd., road in the Port area and C3 Road here in Caloocan. Checking the news from plurks and Inquirer, I was shocked with the havoc this typhoon Ondoy has caused. Metro Manila was declared in a state of calamity and relief and rescue operations for the victims are ongoing. Please help in any way you can, you can donate at various organizations like ABS-CBN, Kapuso, Red Cross for food, medicines, clothes and cash.

Comments

  1. hey buti nalang you were able to go back to T3..

    grabe talaga yung iba 🙁 still praying for the safety of others.. 🙁
    .-= aBIGwhale´s last blog ..Buying a Car =-.

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  2. hi badet nakasakay na ko ng taxi nong 24th, nong nire-report on the radio na naging bagyong Ondoy na yung tropical depression east of central luzon. the flight was rocky. due to the turbulence siguro over kami ng central luzon non kase nga sobrang dilim ng clouds. kumikidlat sa ilalim ng plane. sinara na nga ng iba yung mga bintana nila, natatakot sa view. ako nanonood pa rin, wala naman akong katabi. sobrang dasal ko rin non na “Lord kakakasal ko lang….” kkk… pero after 30 minutes, okay naman na, smooth till nakarating na kami ng incheon. 25th naman flight ng ate ko pabalik ng singapore, okay din naman sya.
    .-= jehan´s last blog ..The Wedding… =-.

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  3. Good that you were fine, spending the night at T3 is way much better than in rooftops with no food, drink, only soaking wet clothes. Thank God that you’re safe, and let’s pray for those who were tremendously affected by Ondoy. God Bless the Philippines!
    .-= madz´s last blog ..Trick or Treat Me =-.

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  4. It’s better to get stranded in the airport than in the muddy flood like we’d experienced.

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  5. Grabe talaga tong damage na dala ni Ondoy…I haven’t seen it this bad ever…
    .-= Jade´s last blog ..Cebu Pacific Promo Php888 on all domestic flights =-.

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  6. That’s so nice of the airport officials to distribute the cardboard boxes so you won’t be cold. When I was left behind by my plane in London’s Heathrow Airport, not one person even offered a warm smile to comfort me. And it was even colder in that place! I love Pinoys talaga.
    .-= Topaz Horizon´s last blog ..Bags and books for sale! All for Mio’s benefit! =-.

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  7. Hi Frances, oh yes, they didn’t mind that the airport became a refugee camp for the night. They sheltered all those stranded passengers. =)

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Trackbacks

  1. badet says:

    shares http://tinyurl.com/yabxccz (stayed inside NAIA Terminal 3 for 15 hours) http://plurk.com/p/22la9a

  2. […] the news and viewing photos online, I was disconnected from the outside world since I, too, was stranded at the airport. But we were more fortunate than the others who suffered and lost greatly from the flood. […]

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