Philippine Floods
As you may have seen on CNN, Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the Philippines were hit by the worst flooding in decades killing dozens and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Pictures of the flooding show how the torrential rains devastated Southern Luzon. I don't have a camera so I couldn't show you how bad it was. But lots of people were able to capture the flooding.
http://ondoy.tumblr.com/
This map shows how extensive the flooding was/is.
It started raining at around 6:00 pm last Friday. Not heavy rain, but a steady drizzle. We were told that there was a typhoon coming but since the news reported it to be only signal #1, we weren't too bothered. None of the weather reports warned or indicated that this typhoon would be different from previous typhoons that regularly hit the Philippine all year-round.
At 3:30 am Saturday, my brother had to leave for the airport. He was going home to for his son's birthday. It was still raining. I accompanied him to the end of our street to hail a cab because our street was by then, filled with floodwater at ankle-height. We didn't think much of it, because our street is located at a low lying area and constantly floods at the slightest hint of rain. Now, I'm grateful that he took the red-eye flight or else he would have been stuck at the airport when later flights were cancelled.
Its also a bit of a silver lining that our street gets flooded regularly because as it so happens, our apartment building was built at quite a high elevation as buffer against this regular flooding. True enough, the next day when the whole of Manila was flooded, my apartment remained safe and dry. My neighbors did not fare as well and I could see their cars across the street buried in floodwater. I can only watch helplessly from my window.
Now, whether the flooding is a result of global warming, el nino phenomenon, bad drainage system, or just plain bad weather, it is clear that preparedness could mitigate if not avert disaster completely. This lesson, it seems, was never learned by the Philippine government as evidenced by the glacial and oft-late rescue of flood victims yesterday.
This makes me sad and more than a little outraged at the government's ineptitude. To make the matters worse, the lack of information before and during the height of the floods was frightening. Little warning was issued that this typhoon will cause city-wide floods. The Arroyo administration could have upgraded PAG-ASA's equipment or bought rescue equipment in preparation for this kind of disaster with the taxes they collect. But no, the Arroyo administration evidently spend it all on foreign trips and dinners at exclusive New York restaurants.
Yesterday, the government left its citizens to survive on their own sheer determination and fortitude. And that is just unacceptable. But as much as I condemn the Arroyo administration, I fully believe that the victims should not be punished and continue to suffer more because of the corruption of government officials. A you can see from the videos, pictures and blogs posted about Andoy show the true concern, compassion and generosity of neighbors to neighbors and even complete strangers.
I am now packing canned goods, instant noodles, blankets and old clothes to give to the local parish tomorrow. It is my regret that I couldn't give more right now when the victims need it most. Unfortunately, payday is still a week away.
If you can help the victims of the flood, please donate to a credible private organization like Philippine National Red Cross or GMA Kapuso Foundation. Alternatively, donations through paypal may be sent to TxtPower Organization
http://ondoy.tumblr.com/
This map shows how extensive the flooding was/is.
It started raining at around 6:00 pm last Friday. Not heavy rain, but a steady drizzle. We were told that there was a typhoon coming but since the news reported it to be only signal #1, we weren't too bothered. None of the weather reports warned or indicated that this typhoon would be different from previous typhoons that regularly hit the Philippine all year-round.
At 3:30 am Saturday, my brother had to leave for the airport. He was going home to for his son's birthday. It was still raining. I accompanied him to the end of our street to hail a cab because our street was by then, filled with floodwater at ankle-height. We didn't think much of it, because our street is located at a low lying area and constantly floods at the slightest hint of rain. Now, I'm grateful that he took the red-eye flight or else he would have been stuck at the airport when later flights were cancelled.
Its also a bit of a silver lining that our street gets flooded regularly because as it so happens, our apartment building was built at quite a high elevation as buffer against this regular flooding. True enough, the next day when the whole of Manila was flooded, my apartment remained safe and dry. My neighbors did not fare as well and I could see their cars across the street buried in floodwater. I can only watch helplessly from my window.
Now, whether the flooding is a result of global warming, el nino phenomenon, bad drainage system, or just plain bad weather, it is clear that preparedness could mitigate if not avert disaster completely. This lesson, it seems, was never learned by the Philippine government as evidenced by the glacial and oft-late rescue of flood victims yesterday.
This makes me sad and more than a little outraged at the government's ineptitude. To make the matters worse, the lack of information before and during the height of the floods was frightening. Little warning was issued that this typhoon will cause city-wide floods. The Arroyo administration could have upgraded PAG-ASA's equipment or bought rescue equipment in preparation for this kind of disaster with the taxes they collect. But no, the Arroyo administration evidently spend it all on foreign trips and dinners at exclusive New York restaurants.
Yesterday, the government left its citizens to survive on their own sheer determination and fortitude. And that is just unacceptable. But as much as I condemn the Arroyo administration, I fully believe that the victims should not be punished and continue to suffer more because of the corruption of government officials. A you can see from the videos, pictures and blogs posted about Andoy show the true concern, compassion and generosity of neighbors to neighbors and even complete strangers.
I am now packing canned goods, instant noodles, blankets and old clothes to give to the local parish tomorrow. It is my regret that I couldn't give more right now when the victims need it most. Unfortunately, payday is still a week away.
If you can help the victims of the flood, please donate to a credible private organization like Philippine National Red Cross or GMA Kapuso Foundation. Alternatively, donations through paypal may be sent to TxtPower Organization