On December 17, 2011, Tropical Storm Sendong struck Cagayan de Oro. A flash flood tore through the city, causing more than 1,400 residents to lose their lives. USAID and the US military were the first among international donors to provide relief assistance to the displaced survivors.

Less than two years later, Cagayan de Oro emerged from being the victim of a natural disaster, to being the National Competitiveness Council's #1 Most Competitive City in the Philippines.