This Unexpected Survival Kit Saved My Grandfather and Uncle During a Typhoon

During the 1980s, my grandparents owned a fish farm in the Philippines. It was on another island and about a two-hour plane ride from their home. Because it was so far, they hired a caretaker to manage it daily.

My Grandpa William would visit it a few times a year and spend two to three weeks there to ensure everything ran smoothly. One month in 1985, the caretaker went on a vacation, so Grandpa William went there with his youngest son (my Uncle Tommy), who often joined him to help with more physical duties.

A week into their stay, a massive typhoon hit the island, and because they were in such a remote area, it was difficult to leave. Their best option was to stay put and wait for it to pass. My Grandpa William and Uncle Tommy sheltered indoors and hoped for the best.

Food was in the fridge, and they filled three large picnic water coolers with fresh water. They didn't expect the typhoon to be too powerful, so they figured they would be okay for a few days.

On the first night, the power went out while they were watching TV, so they decided to go upstairs to sleep. With my uncle leading the way, they walked in the dark and slowly walked upstairs. It was pitch black, and by the time they reached the top of the stairs, to their astonishment, they felt wet rain and strong winds.

Immediately, they walked back downstairs.

They couldn’t believe it. The typhoon had torn the second floor like a lid from a can. What was once a two story home had become a one level home in just a few seconds.

It didn’t surprise them they hadn’t heard anything because the storm was already so loud, and so much debris was being blown outside. It was as if the tornado from The Wizard of Oz had come and only taken the house's second floor. Their only option was to stay downstairs and sleep on the couches.

It rained nonstop the whole night, and the noise from the typhoon made it hard for them to get any sleep. By morning, water had seeped into the house, and it was slowly getting higher and higher. It was a tiny town, and no shelters were available.

Anyone else living in the area was in the same circumstances as them.

There were no cell phones or internet during this period, and the phone lines were down, so there was no communication with the outside world. The power was out, and the backup generator was damaged during the flooding.

To keep themselves fed the first two days, they ate leftovers from the fridge, but the food soon spoiled because of the humidity, and with no power, they could not keep the food fresh.

It continued to rain, and by the start of day 3, the water had risen to about waist-deep. Even the chairs and couches were underwater.

One piece of furniture that was not underwater was a three-drawer file cabinet. It wasn't used to store paper files. My uncle had bought it to store tools and other misc household items but never used it.

With nowhere else to sit, my Uncle Tommy helped my Grandpa William climb to the top of the cabinet, where he sat for the next two days. My Uncle Tommy planted himself on the kitchen countertop.

Toward the end of Day 3, the storm stopped, and the water slowly started to go down. They were bored, so they spent most of their time talking and telling stories to keep themselves occupied. When they ran out of things to say, my uncle looked for something to do and opened the top drawer, and was shocked at what he found:

Canned Food.

And lots of it.

The top drawer was filled with cans of spam, corned beef, Vienna sausage, and sardines. (Very popular and everyday staples in Filipino households).

He opened the second drawer and found a few bottles of soda, about five brand-new can openers, and bottle openers that were still in the package and had never been used. There were no items in the bottom drawer which was fine because water had already filled it.

This unexpected find was like finding gold, and it kept them fed for a few more days as the water began to recede and the power returned. I believe they would have survived without food, but having that canned food made the next few days more bearable and comfortable for them.

So how did that food get there?

They didn't even give it a second thought. They knew precisely who placed the food there.

My grandmother.

It was common for her to store canned food in the oddest places. She sometimes kept canned food in the cabinets of her bedroom.

When the phone lines were finally available, my grandpa called home to tell the family that he and Uncle Tommy were safe. Speaking to my grandmother, he explained the ordeal, from finding out the second floor had been torn away to finding the unknown supply of canned food in the file cabinet.

Grandpa William didn't ask her if she put the food there, but he did ask why, of all places did, she place food in the file cabinet?

Her response was one that was pretty common for her:

"I remember putting the food in there; I don't remember why I did it. I completely forgot I put anything in there.”

It was classic Grandma.

It's a humorous story in our family. She unknowingly created a survival kit of food that kept her husband and son fed for a few more days.

It's been years since my grandparents passed. When my cousins and I get together and reminisce about them, we sometimes share stories like these. Our grandmother's stories are legendary. We're thankful Grandpa William and Uncle Tommy survived that typhoon. We can't imagine how difficult and uncomfortable that ordeal was for them.

But when the story ends with us remembering that they found food in the file cabinet, we can't help but smile. And often, we find ourselves laughing out loud.

With that being said, would any readers out there like to split a can of spam or sardines?