Seeking to erase a nightmare, residents of the plush Provident Village in Marikina City have expressed interest to sell their houses – even at a bargain price – following their traumatic experience from the flood the mud that swept their community following the onslaught of tropical storm “Ondoy.”

“I don’t want to live here anymore,” Romana Camua said in an interview while her family was shovelling mud from inside their two-story house along New York Street.

Romana, 58, was stranded on the roof of her neighbor’s house for almost 17 hours after flood waters, followed by a huge volume of mud, engulfed their community in Provident Village last Sept. 26.

Accompanied by her two household helpers, Romana crawled through a small opening for an air-conditioning unit at the second floor of their house where they were able to reach their neighbor’s roof as the flood water rose quickly amid heavy rains.

Before they were rescued by Red Camua, her 36-year-old son, Romana said she had feared that a few more minutes of Ondoy’s downpour, the flood would have reached them, leading to their death. While waiting for rescue, Romana said saw two of her neighbors’ lifeless bodies floating on the floodwater in the middle of the street.

Brian Afuang, motoring editor of Manila Times, had a different tale to share. He was in the paradise island of Boracay in Aklan when Ondoy’s furious rains hit Provident Village, leaving him helpless at that time to rescue his wife Agnes and two teenagers – Basal and Dylan – who were all non-swimmers.

The three were extracted by rescue teams along with some 20 other residents who were trapped on the roof of a multi-story store near the village gate after 12 hours of rain that brought floodwater and mud to their homes.

Up to now, Basal would show signs of anxiety whenever it starts to rain, Afuang said. “Now, my two traumatized kids won’t let us leave their eyesight,” he said.

The Afuangs spent the last few days washing the antique furniture collection of Brian’s late father, Ben Afuang, that were submerged in flood and mud. All of their family photos that used to be hanged on the wall were totally destroyed, too.

Huge pile of mud, believed to have come from San Mateo, Rizal, reached the second floor of the Afuang residence.

Before the latest natural calamity hit Provident Village, Brian remembered that the selling price of a residential lot would cost around P14,000 per square meter.

The Afuangs witnessed how Provident Village became a haven of affluent people – who own an average of two to three cars – following the development of Marikina City by then Mayor Bayani Fernando who sought to transform the city into a model Metro Manila hub in the 1990s. But now, every resident wants to leave the place.

Brian said he is now looking for a house that stands on higher ground outside of Marikina City, which is now considered as a “flood-prone” area.

On the other hand, the Camuas, who lived in Provident Village for more than 35 years, are now looking for a condominium unit where Romana can sleep soundly, safe from the threat of future flooding.

For whatever price it would take, the Camuas and Afuangs want to get rid of their respective houses in Provident Village along with the bad memories of “Ondoy” the soonest time possible.