by Gareth Cross
A DERRY mother spoke yesterday of how her daughter narrowly escaped a killer storm in the Philippines.
Patricia Moore told The Derry News that her daughter, Orlaigh Bonner fled by boat from tropical storm Kai-Tak which has killed three people.
The storm led to strong winds, floods and landslides across the region. Thousands of passengers were stuck after ferry services were suspended, and the storm also led to widespread electricity outages.
Among the victims were a two-year-old boy who drowned in the Leyte province, many others were injured and a number of people are still considered missing following the storm.
Ms Moore said that her daughter was having a holiday in the region after working as a nurse in Australia.
"She got off the island in the early hours of the morning after getting a boat to avoid the storm," she said.
"Everyone was warned about the storm the day before but boats were suspended so she couldn't leave.
"She waited until Saturday morning, got the boat off the island she was on and then flew to Manilla."
Ms Moore said that she was worried sick when she heard about the storm.
"Oh my God, it was so difficult as a parent," she said.
"The wifi and connectivity out there isn't the best so I'd be trying to talk to her and she'd be breaking up.
"I'd be trying to get in touch to find out how she was and we'd lose signal."
She said that she experienced a long wait to find out if her daughter was safe.
"It was one of the longest days and nights of my life not knowing what was happening," said Ms Moore.
"I wasn't even sure exactly what island she was on so I couldn't even google it to find out what was happening with the storm.
"I waited for ages to hear from her."
Relief
Ms Moore was relieved when she finally heard from Orlaigh.
"She told me she was getting on the boat and then they were getting a flight, it was an anxious wait," she said
"I wanted her to text me to let me know how she was getting on, to calm me down she took a photograph of herself with her luggage so I'd see she had arrived safely."
She said that she had been worried than her daughter.
"When she first told me about the storm I did think she might be abit afraid," said Ms Moore.
"She's quite easy going though and was trying to keep me calm saying it was just winds and flooding.
"It's been a tough time for the family with a recent bereavement but I knew she had two angels watching over her, including her uncle Dale."
"Orlaigh now intends to travel to Bali where she intends to recommence work as a nurse," she concluded.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team on 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories Or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Or you can email gareth@derrynews.net at any time.