Students in Metro Manila had an early vacation due to floods and destruction brought by Typhoon Ondoy. A week-long suspension from classes was declared to facilitate recuperation of affected communities, notably Pasig City, Provident Village in Marikina, and Cainta, Rizal. These are but a few of the most severely affected, with floodwaters carrying mud and debris, submerging houses, halting cars, and sweeping away once-warm bodies. Without warning, properties were lost and innocent lives were taken away.
Ondoy (international code name ‘Ketsana’), the 15th cyclone entering from the Pacific Ocean, had maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gusts reaching 100 kph. The typhoon collided with the eastern part of Luzon at around 11:00 am last September 27 (PAGASA). According to chief government weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz, rainfall amounting to about 34.1 centimeters was cast by Ondoy on Metro Manila in a span of just six hours. This was close to the 39.2-centimeter average for the entire month of September, and it even surpassed the previous 24-hour record of 33.4 centimeters set in June 1967.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), stated that this was the worst flooding in the national capital in over 20 years. According to the NDCC Report #21 dated October 4, 2009, 26 regions including Metro Manila were declared in the state of calamity, affecting a total of 3,899,307 people nationwide. Until the present, some areas in these regions are still submerged and inaccessible, with 65 000 families occupying 505 evacuation centers. Among these, 12,399 families are now homeless. Aside from damages and property losses amounting to more than Php 8 Billion, Ondoy left a total of 335 casualties (288 dead, 5 injured, 42 still missing). Land, air, and water transportation and communication were hampered. Roads became rivers, cars became boats, roofs became rafts, and the surge of trash floating in the floods became sorry companions in a scene of desolation that seemed to be taken straight out of an end-of-days movie.
Pepeng (international code name ‘Parma’) on the other hand, while deviating from its original Manila-bound path, still affected our fellow Filipinos in the southern and northern parts of Luzon. Pepeng, initially classified as a class five (5) typhoon to join the ranks of Hurricane Katrina, affected 189,510 people in 603 barangays in six (6) regions. About 14,790 families are still in 316 evacuation centers. Sixteen died from the calamity, 10 of whom suffered suffocation secondary to landslides. Typhoon Pepeng destroyed around 22,669 metric tons of paddy rice (palay) mostly from Isabela, Cordillera, and Cagayan Region, according to the Department of Agriculture.
All in all, the damage in infrastructure and agriculture caused by these two successive typhoons amount to Php 8.8 Billion. Even worse is the death toll of 300 and the thousands of homes destroyed. The clogged drainage caused by polystyrene containers, plastics, and other debris, impede rehabilitation efforts despite the succeeding improvement in weather.
These calamities did not happen by chance or ill luck. We are well aware that our planet is exponentially heating up from the increased green house gas emissions. Improper waste disposal and illegal logging also contribute to global warming. Global warming causes fluctuations in the normal flow of wind thus causing catastrophic cyclones. These cyclones bring floods, which are aggravated by illegal logging and improper waste disposal.
It is a vicious cycle of disaster, with humanity at the beginning and end. We, then, hold the key to its resolution. With calamities closing in on us from every side, the time is now for proactive environmentalism and a safe and healthy planet.
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