When the rain finally loosened its grip, Iligan did not return to normal. It returned to mud. Streets that once carried traffic now held silt and debris, pressed into corners and doorways by retreating water. The storm named Basyang had already moved on, but its presence lingered in what it left behind.

Floodwaters inundated large parts of the city, carrying soil, household items, and fragments of daily life into homes and businesses. As the water receded, it revealed a landscape reshaped not by force alone, but by accumulation. Thick layers of mud coated floors and roads, turning familiar spaces into labor-intensive tasks waiting to be addressed.

Residents emerged with buckets, shovels, and improvised tools, beginning the slow work of clearing what could be cleared. Cleanup crews followed, coordinating efforts street by street, prioritizing access routes and public facilities. The process was neither quick nor clean. Mud clings. It resists removal, settling into cracks and drains, demanding repetition and patience.

Local authorities mobilized heavy equipment to assist with debris removal, while volunteers joined affected households in clearing interiors. For many, cleanup marked the first step toward recovery, even as assessments of damage were still ongoing. Electricity and water services were gradually restored, though interruptions remained in some areas.

Storms like Basyang compress time. Destruction arrives quickly; recovery stretches out. The cleanup phase occupies a quiet middle ground, less visible than rescue operations but no less demanding. It is here that exhaustion often sets in, as urgency gives way to sustained effort.

Iligan has faced floods before, and its residents carry an understanding shaped by experience. They know that recovery is not measured only by cleared streets, but by how quickly routine can return — children back to school, shops reopening, evenings regaining their ordinary pace.

As mud is scraped away and surfaces reappear, the city begins to recognize itself again. The work will continue for days, perhaps weeks. But with each cleared pathway and emptied drain, Iligan takes another step out of the storm’s shadow, not erasing what happened, but absorbing it into a familiar rhythm of resilience and rebuilding.

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Sources

Local government of Iligan Office of Civil Defense Regional media reports