Typhoon Ondoy has killed 40 people after bringing too much rain. The amount of rain Ondoy brought in 6 hours pouring is the same amount that the country receives in a month. Thus, causing floods to the National Capital region and this leaves the civilians no choice but to stay above their roofs for their safety. Typhoon Ondoy also caused wide-spread blackouts.
The government already declared that Manila and 25 other provinces in Luzon are under state of calamity. Where businesses and transportation are paralyzed. The calamity declaration allows officials to withdraw emergency money for relief and rescue. The massive floods turned wide areas of the metropolis virtually into a sea. Families from across various sectors, including the middle class living in gated communities, were among those marooned in their homes, many stranded on their roofs.
The Philippine Navy even mentioned that this is their first time to received such a huge number of calls for help.
The waters rose to 5 meters in some places, commuters plodded through the floods and motorists were forced to drive around in circles just to avoid getting stranded in the surging waters. Many civilians evacuated to centers.
Even President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo rode an Army truck to check the extent of flooding around Malacañang. She later took the Light Rail Transit (LRT) to attend a meeting of disaster officials at Camp Aguinaldo.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported that at least 90 percent of major thoroughfares in the capital was submerged in floodwaters, bringing traffic in several portions of EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) to a stop for hours.
Metro Manila’s average rainfall for September is 391.7 millimeters. In six hours, Ondoy dumped 341 millimeters of rainfall.
“It’s unusual,” Pagasa weather forecaster Bernie de Leon said. It was also the worst case of flooding seen by Pagasa in recent years, he said.
De Leon said the heavy rainfall might be a “manifestation of climate change.” He added: “It’s not conclusive but it could be one of the reasons,” he said.
The following provinces were placed under a state of calamity: Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon, Isabela, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Marinduque, Camarines Norte and Bataan.
Many civilians are now asking for help and there are many organisations who are donating goods and cash to immediately reach the civilians in their towns and evacuation centres. Typhoon Ondoy is expected to be out of the country today and while the nation is under a catastrophe, please do not stop praying for everyone’s safety. Should you wish to donate for our fellowmen, please visit the nearest malls in your place where they accept donations. If you are not in the Philippines, you can donate direct to the Philippine National Red Cross or though Paypal direct.