Typhoon Aftermath: Floods Brought Chaos

. Caption: Katipunan Avenue, infront of Ateneo de Manila University, was flooded when tropical storm 'Ondoy' or 'Ketsana' hit the Philippines on Saturday, 26 September 2009. (Photo courtesy of William Yu).

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Today (Sunday, 27 September 2009), I woke up early (around 2:00 a.m.) after about four hours of sleep. I'm still thinking about the disaster that millions of people in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces experienced due to flashfloods caused by the recent typhoon (tropical storm 'Ondoy' or 'Ketsana').

I have just monitored my e-mails and Facebook account. I saw several information from friends with links to news items related to the flood disaster.

One of the links that I've read is an article by British Broadcasting Company (BBC) online ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ) which featured a video clip and pictures of Filipinos stranded in the floods.

Below is the link to the article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8276347.stm

Here is an excerpt:

"At least 50 people have been killed and thousands more evacuated as floods caused by heavy rain brought chaos to the Philippines, officials say.

At least one town is completely under water. Power has been cut off to parts of the capital, Manila, where hundreds of people are trapped on rooftops.

The government has declared a calamity, allowing access to emergency funds.
Television pictures showed water flowing down roads like rivers, with the floods chest-deep and rising.

The equivalent of a whole month's rain fell in six hours as Tropical Storm Ketsana, also known as Ondoy, lashed the island of Luzon, causing the worst flooding in Manila for 20 years.

In pictures: Philippines floods

Nearly 2,000 people were evacuated and hundreds more were stranded on rooftops.

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Today (September 27, 2009) is the 76th birthday of my mother. My parents live in Bacoor, Cavite -- a suburb of Metro Manila. We were supposed to have a family celebration with my brother and some relatives from Bataan (west of Manila) in attendance. The celebration was postponed because of the typhoon and floods.

My parents are safe in our subdivision house in Bacoor. I am now in Loyola Heights, Quezon City and will be leaving in a while to go home to our house in Bacoor.

Unlike some unfortunate countrymen, my family has been spared from great damage. I pity those whose houses have been submerged by floods and those that lost their lives as victims of the recent calamity.

Our university, the Ateneo de Manila University, has launched a campaign to aid the victims of the recent typhoon and floods. Our university's main cafeteria now houses several evacuees from nearby villages in Marikina City, where many of the university's students, faculty and staff reside.

Related Links:

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2009/09/floods-and-typhoons-how-prepared-are-we.html

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=157965&id=682835049

Raffy Saldaña
9/27/09

Floods and Typhoons: How Prepared Are We In Coping With "Natural" Disasters?

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Link to this blog post: http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2009/09/floods-and-typhoons-how-prepared-are-we.html



Caption: Unprecented flooding in Katipunan Avenue infront of Ateneo de Manila University... the worst in 20 years. (9/26/09, Photos courtesy of William Yu.)

"Today's flooding is the worst (in the Philippines) in 20 years..."

-- Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA)

This morning, I woke up early to prepare for the Inter-University Programming Contest in Ateneo de Manila University hosted by the Ateneo Computer Society (COMPSAT). I am one of the judges in the contest.

There was a continuous downpour while I was on my was to the university. Later in the morning, I was told that the contest was cancelled due to bad weather.

A tropical storm (typhoon Ondoy) hit the Philippines today and brought heavy rains which caused flooding in Metro Manila and several provinces.

Today's floods are unprecedented. It was our first time to experience flooding at high level in Katipunan Avenue -- right infront of our university.

As of this writing, I am still inside the school, together with many students, faculty and staff who are stranded inside the campus.

Many of my colleagues are also staying inside the university. The university's faculty housing in nearby Marikina valley is already submerged with flood water.

I am one with many others who are wondering why this kind of flooding was not foreseen by the authorities, so that the people would be more prepared in coping with so-called natural disasters.

Is this disaster brought about by climate change?

Is this disaster due to the inadequacy of the Philippine government in ensuring that infrastructures are in place (adequate early warning systems) to counter floods and other disasters?

I hope that our society would be equipped with the necessary technology and infrastructures that could mitigate or prevent disasters such as what we are experiencing now.


Raffy Saldaña
9/16/09