Raising Our Home For Safety

Hello everyone, this is my first time writing in this community. I’m not a professional builder or engineer. I’m just a homemaker sharing our life real experience. Our house is currently building a second floor because of frequent flooding in our area. Many had thought that our place is located on a low part area. But as the years goes by the flood control corruption was revealed. While it takes time to recover we need to adjust for a better living.

I decided to document this journey as a simple diary—from the damage we experienced to the materials we use. I hope this post can share awareness, learning, and encouragement to others who may be facing the same situation.

Our house has been flooded many times before, but the recent one was different. The water rose fast and entered our home. We stayed inside, watching our things get soaked, our floor disappear under muddy water, and our safety slowly feel uncertain.

In the photos, you can see how the flood reached inside our house. It was painful to witness. We tried to lift what we could, but there is only so much you can do when water keeps coming. The hardest part was knowing that this could have been avoided. Flood control projects were supposed to help people like us, but because of corruption and poor materials used, the problem only became worse. Instead of strong and proper structures, what we see are weak solutions that fail when we need them the most.

Because of this, we decided to build a second floor. It is not easy, especially financially, but safety comes first. I'm really tired of having athlete's foot it's very painful. We want a place where we can move when the water rises again, because floods are now part of our reality. We can freely evacuate in our in-laws house. But it's hard to get along especially when we are not really part of that place. Let's admit that there will be good and bad times.

I took photos of the materials we are using for the construction. You can see tubular metals, welding machine, measuring tools, grinders, cutting wheels, hammer, primer paint, and other basic construction items.

These may look ordinary, but for us, they represent hope. Each metal bar means strength. Each measurement means careful planning. Every tool tells a story of effort and sacrifice. Our second floor will be built my brother-in-law so he entrust us with his things to be left inside our house. He has his small version of welding machine. But he uses the bigger one that they borrowed from a good friend. Even if I don't explain how will these equipment will be used for, everyone will surely understand the dream we want to came true.

Thank you for reading my post and I'll surely be back for the update.

@usagigallardo015