Quake survivors recount terror

Photo shows damaged structures and part of the Our Lady of Light Catholic church after a powerful earthquake struck Loon town, Bohol province, on Tuesday Oct. 15, 2013. AP PHOTO/PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE

LOON, Bohol—Gay Flores had just woken up in her two-story house in the town of Carmen on Tuesday morning, a national holiday, when the 7.2-magnitude quake struck, sending shock waves across the picturesque island—and knocking her off her feet.

“I crawled down to our kitchen because my mother and nephews were there,” she said. “Then we crawled out of the house.”

The roof of their house had caved in and the concrete walls had collapsed, but she was alive, and so were her parents.

“We left everything behind,” Flores said on the phone from Carmen. “Belongings don’t matter as long as we can save our lives.”

Taking the day off may have saved her life—and those of many others. Even as the death toll rose to more than 150, officials say that because of the holiday, many schools and offices that collapsed on Bohol Island were empty when the quake struck at 8:15 a.m.

A day after the quake, rescuers with heavy equipment were still blocked from getting to devastated, isolated towns that were cut off by landslides or because bridges were seriously damaged.

Only two of the island’s 20 bridges are passable.

Tourist destination

The island, with 1.2 million people, is a popular tourist destination because of its beach resorts, tarsiers and famed Chocolate Hills.

But from the air, the town of Loon, 42 kilometers to the west of Carmen, was a jumble of toppled houses, churches and other buildings.

Residents picked their way around the rubble and gaping cracks in the road.

The quake took a heavy toll on historic churches in the area.

Holiday saved lives

Officials said that most damaged structures like schools and office buildings were empty for the celebration of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha when the quake struck, which saved many lives.

“That is our only consolation,” said Bohol’s provincial health officer, Reymoses Cabagnot.

Senior Insp. Jacinto Mandal, the police chief in Loon, was sitting in his office drawing up a plan for the village election on Oct. 28 when the quake hit.

“It was really strong. It was as if something was really moving underground,” Mandal said. “We fell to the ground from the force of the shaking. If you attempted to stand, you could fall down.”

Running outside, he saw cracks open in the street and people were screaming and crying. He told them to gather outside the municipal hall.

Two bodies found

Mandal found the mayor, who was shaken but alive, and they proceeded to the church, only to find it reduced to rubble. Two bodies were pulled out of the site on Wednesday.

After reaching the collapsed church, he and the priest escorted the people away to an open area.

The destruction was visible in every direction. Every 10 meters there were cracks in the streets. Almost all the houses were damaged and residents pitched makeshift tents outside their homes.

“We still have no electricity,” Mandal said. “The people use firewood to cook.”