MANILA, Philippines -- The epic flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila became the great equalizer as rich and middle-class residents fled their homes for safety, turning into "evacuees" themselves.

Joey Salgado, chief of Makati's public information office, said his family took only their dogs and a few belongings with them as they left their three-story house in Northview 2 in Quezon City at 3 p.m. Saturday.

"By the time we left, malapit na sa second floor yung baha (the flood was near the second floor). This rarely happened in our area. All the neighbors were surprised because this is a middle-class subdivision," he said, adding that their village was usually spared despite being near the Marikina River.

At 10 a.m., Salgado said they had already decided to evacuate and look for a hotel or apartelle in Quezon City to stay in but all the rooms had been booked.

Luckily, he said a family friend offered space in their QC home, where they spent the night.

The experience, however, was unforgettable for Salgado and his four kids as they waded through floodwaters to reach their car, which was earlier parked two blocks away on a higher area.

"May nakita pa ngang baka yung anak ko, pati mga ahas. Siguro nanggaling sa bandang Marikina River (My kid saw a cow and a snake. Thes emight have come from the Marikina River), we don't know. She said it seemed so surreal," he said.

Salgado said it was only in the late afternoon that he saw a QC firetruck in their area.

Despite the slow government reaction, he said the presence of "bayanihan" (community effort) in their neighborhood helped them get through the experience.

"May mga kumakatok, nagtatanong kung kailangan ng tulong magbuhat ng mga gamit. (People would knock on doors, asking if help is needed to carry out brings). My two kids also saw an old man trying to get his refrigerator out, so tinulungan nila (so they helped him)," he said.

Although his family planned to return to their QC home Sunday afternoon, Salgado said he was still worrying about his mother and brother's family since they lived in Rizal--the province hardest hit by the typhoon.

About 15 families in Magallanes Village, a posh subdivision in Makati City, were also evacuated on Saturday, according to police.

Chief Insp. Alfredo de la Cruz, head of the police community precinct 3, said several streets in Magallanes Village were submerged in floods since these were near the perennially flooded Edsa-Magallanes area.

"Pinuntahan sila ng mga speedboat ng military bandang hapon ng Sabado. Dinala sila sa barangay hall pero kaninang madaling araw, nagbalikan na sila sa mga bahay nila (Military speedboats came to rescue them on Saturday afternoon. They were brought to the barangay hall but at dawn earlier, they returned to their homes)," he said on Sunday.

He said the authorities and residents were unable to anticipate the disaster as it was the first time that such a deluge occurred.