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                        Share This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutFacebookEmailTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestMiracles, tragedies: Survivors recall typhoon year agoPatrick Hennessy grew up near Syracuse, N.Y., loving to swim in Lake Ontario and the Oswego River. More than 60 years later, he used those long-dormant swimming skills to save his Filipino wife from the surging waves of a super typhoon.Post to FacebookMiracles, tragedies: Survivors recall typhoon year ago 

 Patrick Hennessy grew up near Syracuse, N.Y., loving to swim in Lake Ontario and the Oswego River. More than 60 years later, he used those long-dormant swimming skills to save his Filipino wife from the surging waves of a super typhoon.  

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                        Join the Nation's ConversationTo find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQsMiracles, tragedies: Survivors recall typhoon year ago Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY 8:36 p.m. EST November 6, 2014A boy walks past tents donated by the U.N. and other international aid agencies for typhoon Haiyan victims in Basey township, Philippines, on Nov. 6, 2014.(Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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        COMMENTEMAILMORETACLOBAN, Philippines — Patrick Hennessy grew up near Syracuse, N.Y., loving to swim in Lake Ontario and the Oswego River. More than 60 years later, he used those long-dormant swimming skills to save his Filipino wife from the surging waves of a super typhoon.Hennessy, 74, and his wife Patsy, 54, were trapped in their kitchen a year ago as water rose from Super Typhoon Haiyan. He held up his wife to a small air pocket, her nose touching the ceiling, as his other arm treaded water to stay afloat.For a terrifying hour, Hennessy overcame his frail health and blindness." 'Just do one more stroke,' I said to myself, 'just do one more,' " he tearfully recalled last week in this eastern Philippine city, ahead of Saturday's one-year anniversary of the disaster that left more than 7,000 people dead and displaced millions.Patrick Hennessy, 74, with wife Patsy, 54, whose life he saved when they were submerged in their kitchen in Tacloban by super Typhoon Haiyan last November. His T-shirt has a popular slogan, Tindog Tacloban, meaning Stand Up Tacloban. (Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)"I'm not a religious person," he said, "but it was definitely a series of miracles that I was able to hold her, although my strength was going," Hennessy said.USA TODAYSadness, smiles as Filipinos remember typhoonHennessy said he struggled for air each time he surfaced."It's OK to let go," Patsy Hennessy said she told him. "You always said you'd die happy in the water, and that's always been our dream to go together."But he replied: "It's not yet time."After the water finally subsided she again thought it might be time when she saw a poisonous snake floating near her husband's back."I just closed my eyes and prayed," she said. The couple will join the city and nation Saturday in acts of prayer and remembrance.A survivor prepares to launch candle-filled mini-boats made from sections of banana trees as residents commemorate the first anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 8. (Photo: Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A young girl lights a candle on the roadside during a candlelight memorial service in Tacloban City. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                Residents and survivors release lanterns as part of the memorial service to commemorate the anniversary of  Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban City. (Photo: Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Priests conduct confessions after blessing the graves of typhoon victims in Tacloban City. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                A woman cries at the cross of a loved one during a memorial service at the mass grave on the grounds of the Holy Cross Memorial Garden in Tacloban City. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                Former Philippine first lady and current congresswoman Imelda Marcos reacts during a mass  in Tacloban City. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, European Pressphoto Agency)
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                Schoolgirls walk through Anibong village on Oct. 28 near Tacloban, central Philippines, one year after Typhoon Haiyan washed eight boats ashore. Many residents have rebuilt makeshift homes close to the water, despite government warnings. (Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)
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                People toss melons at the dock near the market in Tacloban on Oct. 29. One year after super typhoon Haiyan, the market is crowded with fish vendors but is still far smaller than before the disaster. (Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)
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                A boy walks past thousands of crosses erected at the mass grave for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, Philippines, on Nov. 7. The devastating typhoon struck the region Nov. 8, 2013. (Photo: Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Relatives light candles at a mass grave for Typhoon Haiyan victims outside San Joaquin church in Palo, Philippines. Thousands of people remain living in tents and crowded bunkhouses. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                Relatives of Typhoon Haiyan victims visit a mass grave in Tacloban. The disaster left more than 7,000 people dead and displaced millions. (Photo: Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A baby sleeps as typhoon survivors live in tents in a coastal village in Tacloban. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                Children wait for food at a tent city in San Jose Village, Philippines. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                Children wait for food at a tent city in San Jose Village. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, second from left, visits a newly repaired classroom at  Guiuan East Central School in Guiuan, Philippines. (Photo: Malacanang Photo Bureau via epa)
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                Filipino protesters covered with mud stage an act during a rally near Malacanang presidential palace in Manila. The mud protest symbolizes Philippine President Aquino's alleged neglect of  Typhoon Haiyan survivors. (Photo: JAY DIRECTO, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A fisherman works on his nets in a temporary housing complex in Tacloban, Philippines, on Nov. 6. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                A ship pushed ashore during Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 rests along the main road in Anibong district on Nov. 3 in Tacloban, Philippines. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                A resident walks past a sign thanking foreign and local donors in the rehabilitation of typhoon-ravaged Basey township on Nov. 6. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A boy walks past tents donated to victims of Typhoon Haiyan by United Nations and other international aid agencies in Basey township. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                Joshua Cator, who lost 23 relatives including his mother and younger sister, holds a family portrait outside his makeshift home on Nov. 4 in Leyte province. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, European Pressphoto Agency)
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                Survivors and relatives of typhoon victims offer prayers, candles and flowers after a religious service at Tacloban City on Oct. 31. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, European Pressphoto Agency)
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                A man stands in front of a large ship grounded by Typhoon Haiyan on April 18 in Tacloban. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                A boy joins his parents as they pay their respects to deceased relatives at a new mass grave for 3,000 victims of Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 2 in Tacloban City. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, European Pressphoto Agency)
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                A person visits the graves of family members on Oct. 15 in front of San Joaquin Church in Palo. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A man rebuilds his home that was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 27, 2013, in Tacloban. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A man shows an electric shaver he found outside a damaged grocery store in Tacloban city on Nov. 27, 2013. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A typhoon survivor rebuilds his home on Nov. 27, 2013, in Tacloban near a ship that was washed ashore during the storm. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Members of a South Korean Ddisaster team removes bodies of typhoon victims in Tacloban City on Nov. 27, 2013. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A typhoon survivor plays with his younger brother in Palo township. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                People bicycle along a damaged highway in Palo township. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A man cleans up debris after Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 26 in Tacloban city. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                Red Cross volunteers prepare relief supplies at a temporary evacuation center at a public school in Tacloban. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                Red Cross volunteers conduct a psychosocial support class for children in Tacloban. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                Typhoon survivors and volunteers clean up Tacloban city. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                Men prepare to sell roasted pork on a street in Tacloban. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                A man sits near destroyed homes in Tacloban. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                People walk past ships washed ashore by Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 25 in Tacloban, Philippines. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A commercial aircraft flies over Tacloban. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                Typhoon survivors prepare to board a C-130 aircraft at the airport in Tacloban. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                Police officers prepare to place dead bodies onto a truck in Tacloban. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Children cover their noses as they walk past bodies in Tacloban. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                Chinese medical personnel unload supplies from a hospital ship in Tacloban. (Photo: AP)
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                Children wait in a makeshift home in Tacloban. (Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, epa)
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                Eunice Rustillo searches for food in Tacloban. All of Rustillo's relatives were killed during the typhoon. (Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, epa)
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                People charge their mobile phones at a roadside charging station in Tacloban. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Relatives light candles at a mass grave containing typhoon victims outside San Joaquin church at Palo township. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A typhoon survivor rebuilds his home in Tacloban. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A man rests in his damaged home in Tacloban. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A typhoon victim melts copper wire he salvaged from the debris on Nov. 24 in Tacloban. (Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, epa)
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                Destroyed homes in Palo, Philippines. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Bodies of victims lie on the street in Tacloban. (Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan, epa)
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                A man rides past piles of debris near the shoreline where several tankers ran aground in Leyte. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
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                A rooster sits near a family's makeshift shelter under the hull of a ship in Tacloban. (Photo: Odd Andersen, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A boy uses an umbrella to protect himself from the rain in a neighborhood destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 22 in Tacloban, Philippines. (Photo: David Guttenfelder, AP)
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                Villagers carry religious statues during a procession at a local chapel in Santa Rita township in Eastern Samar, Philippines. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
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                Typhoon survivors watch as a Philippine air force helicopter unloads sacks of relief supplies at Tanauan township. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A man transports containers of fresh water in a toy car in Tanauan township. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                Relatives of Rolando Palermo check body bags as they search for his body in Tanuan. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                U.S. Air Force Sgt. Jody Dessicino helps a mother carry her baby to an evacuation aircraft at the airport in Tacloban. (Photo: Dita Alangkara, AP)
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                People walk back to their destroyed home in Tacloban. (Photo: Odd Andersen, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A man and his child sleep at a Catholic cathedral in Tacloban. (Photo: David Guttenfelder, AP)
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                People walk past damaged and destroyed homes on Nov. 21 in Tolosa, Philippines. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
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                A Red Cross rescue team removes a body in Tacloban. (Photo: Nic Bothma, epa)
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                A Philippine air force helicopter flies past boys searching through debris in Tacloban. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A worker dries customer documents as he prepares to open for business in Taclaban. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
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                A Philippines air force crew member carries a baby to an evacuation aircraft at the airport in Tacloban. (Photo: Wally Santana, AP)
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                People walk past a truck hanging from a tree in Tacloban. (Photo: Nic Bothma, epa)
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                A man shelters from the wind as he tries to light a fire in Tacloban. (Photo: Odd Andersen, AFP/Getty Images)
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                John Ay-ay displays a toy he found in Tacloban city. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A typhoon survivor from Tacloban, Phillippines, cries as she arrives at the Villamor Airbase on Nov. 20 in Manila. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Typhoon survivors and Philippine soldiers carry relief goods from a U.S. helicopter in Tanauan, Leyte province, central Philippines. (Photo: Aaron Favila, AP)
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                Typhoon survivors seek refuge inside Redemptorist Church in Tacloban. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A woman grieves in front of her damaged house in Santa Rita on Samar island. (Photo: Bagus Indahono, epa)
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                Desperate villagers fight for relief supplies dropped from a Philippines air force helicopter near Palo. (Photo: Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A man plays a guitar in Dagami. (Photo: Aaron Favila, AP)
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                Typhoon survivors crowd a house with a standby generator to recharge their cellphones in Tacloban. (Photo: Bullit Marquez, AP)
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                A military cargo aircraft flies over survivors of Typhoon Haiyan as they search for belongings in the rubble of their destroyed homes in Tacoblan on Nov. 20. (Photo: Nicolas Asfouri, AFP/Getty Images)
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                U.S. Navy Aviation ASW Operator 3rd Class Caleb Rausch, right, dodges typhoon victims as they remove relief supplies from a U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopter in Palo, Philippines. (Photo: Wally Santana, AP)
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                U.S. Navy Chief Julio Grullon delivers fruit to typhoon victims in Palo. (Photo: Wally Santana, AP)
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                Typhoon survivors arrive at a temporary shelter at Villamor Airbase Elementary School in Manila. (Photo: Noel Celis, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Villagers toss grocery items from a container that washed up on the beach at Tacloban. (Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, epa)
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                A boy sits in front of destroyed homes near the waterfront in Tacloban. (Photo: Odd Andersen, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Bodies are prepared for burial in a mass grave outside Tacloban city. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                Typhoon survivors line up as they prepare to board a Japanese air force C-130 cargo plane bound for Cebu at Tacloban airport. (Photo: Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images)
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                U.S. military personnel unload boxes of relief supplies at the airport in Tacloban. (Photo: Ritchie B.Tongo, epa)
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                A crew member aboard a Philippines air force helicopter looks at typhoon damage as they fly over Tacloban. (Photo: Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images)
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                A man clears damaged trees outside Tacloban. (Photo: Chris McGrath, Getty Images)
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                A boy climbs across debris near the Tacloban astrodome evacuation center. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
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                Typhoon survivors wait for a flight out of Tacloban. (Photo: Aaron Favila, AP)
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                Stuffed toys dry on a clothesline in Quinapundan town on Nov. 19 in Eastern Samar province, central Philippines. (Photo: Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Typhoon victims stand by tents at an evacuation center in Tacloban. (Photo: Francis R. Malasig, epa)
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                A man fans a fire in Tanauan. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
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                Children play on a pool table in Leyte. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
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                A man carries his dog and waves as he walks to board a South Korean cargo plane to evacuate in Tacloban. (Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem, Getty Images)
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                Typhoon victims leave with some of their belongings from their destroyed homes in Tacloban on Nov. 19. (Photo: Nicolas Asfouri, AFP/Getty Images)
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                Young Filipinos push a cart of water containers in an area destroyed in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban. (Photo: Kevin Frayer, Getty Images)
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                Residents play basketball with a makeshift net in Tacloban. (Photo: Kevin Frayer, Getty Images)
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                Residents sit around a fire in Tacloban. (Photo: Kevin Frayer, Getty Images)
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                Philippine typhoon victims salvage timber as they rebuild their homes in Tacloban. (Photo: Nic Bothma, epa)
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                Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:ReplayAutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext SlideAnother couple, Arlene and Noel Baguion, said the anniversary revives the pain of losing two sons, James, 3, and Christian, 5 — and thinking they could have survived.Arlene Baguion, 41, center, and husband Noel Baguion, 44, prepare pineapples to sell  near Palo Cathedral on the island of Leyte in the central Philippines. (Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)When Haiyan struck, with winds estimated as high as 195 mph, the Baguion family left their flimsy hut in a seaside village near Palo for their neighbor's stronger house. The neighbor, Nelo Onida, employed Noel Baguion, 44, as his driver.As the wind strengthened, Onida suggested that the children sit inside his large pickup parked in the garage. "I thought the water would reach just 3 or 4 feet, the same as other typhoons," Onida said last week.Officials had warned of a "storm surge," but few people here understood that could mean tsunami-like waves, and many ignored pleas to evacuate coastal areas."I didn't want to put the kids in the car. I feared something terrible could happen," Arlene Baguion said. But her husband listened to his boss.The water swept the vehicle away, along with the Baguions' house. Noel Baguion found the truck an hour later and smashed open a window. Incredibly, their oldest son Vincent, then 9, was alive, his face pressed against an air pocket. But his two brothers had drowned, along with four other children and two adults in the vehicle.All 21 people who sheltered inside the Onida house survived.One year later, the two families still live just yards apart in a neighborhood bearing many signs of the devastation, but they no longer speak. After three months in a hot and crowded bunkhouse, the Baguions, who have four surviving children including Vincent, moved back to rebuild their hut.On Nov. 13, 2013, Vincent Baguion, 9, explains how he survived being inside a pickup full of sea-water by pressing his mouth and nose right against the roof, as his father, Noel Baguion, 43, listens. (Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)Onida, a site engineer, renovates schools for a charity  and has hired another driver. He says he has no regrets about his actions last year, but promises to heed government advice next time and evacuate when a major typhoon barrels down on these storm-prone islands.The Baguions, who get by selling pineapples next to Palo Cathedral, say they also will flee if another storm hits. Vincent does well at school, but tenses up whenever there is wind and rain, his parents said."I cope by just making myself busy," Arlene Baguion said.
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