Tropical Storm’s Hysteria Philippines.

by Babel-Fish | September 28, 2009 at 09:29 pm

1875 views | 65 Recommendations | 7 comments

Many people in Asia feel that typhoon Ondoy an omen of things to come.

Typhoon Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) dumped 334 millimeters of rain in the first six hours, the highest ever recorded rainfall in the Metropolis. The previous record was 341 millimeters over a 24 hour period 42 years ago. Ondoy submerged up to 80% of the city, and covered areas that never experienced flooding before, stranding people on rooftops and bringing death and misery to rich and poor alike. Even after the waters subsided, Metro Manila and the outlying regions were largely unprepared to handle the evacuees, the injured, and much less the contamination that the floodwaters brought.

The problem in the Philippines has always been in cities that are built mainly on low lying land and around a large river or large rivers. Drainage can never be good enough to shift the large amounts of water that some tropical storms dump from the skies. Mostly drainage is not very good in the Philippines any way. Every mayor in every city that is prone to flooding has had to try to deal with the flooding problems. But it’s the lack of money to secure river banks and to build monsoon drainage. Then when there is money for drainage projects corruption milks off much of the funds and that leads to poor structures.

The real worry is the world climate change theory looks to have much truth and that Tropical Storms are dumping increasing amounts of rain on the Philippine islands.

Big Cities such as Cebu City are getting prepared for the worst of course within the limit of man power and resources.

CEBU CITY -- Acting City Mayor Michael Rama advised Cebuanos Monday to be prepared for catastrophes and draw up contingency plans as early as now.
The preparedness, he said, is made more crucial as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has warned that more typhoons will hit the country in the next three months.

Davao City is as equally prone to flooding as Manila and of course the administration is worried….

DAVAO CITY -- The massive flooding that hit Metro Manila over the weekend can also happen here, a city councilor said Monday as the country’s capital is still reeling from Typhoon Ondoy’s devastating effects.
City Councilor Leonardo R. Avila III said that if there will be heavy rainfall, like what happened in Metro Manila last week, low-lying areas in the city will be inundated

With the Philippine government needing to appeal for money to aid the relief after the Typhoon Ondoy natural disaster there is a threat of a new storm that could strike Manila this week. Hysteria set’s in deep here in Dumaguete City we are prone to flooding on a less threatening scale but the Filipino’s that live in the flood threat area’s are very concerned as they have already been flooded out this year. Some had their bamboo houses float away and many small shop owner lost stock.

MANILA -- The government appealed for international help Monday after Typhoon Ondoy killed 140 people in Luzon and warned a new storm could strike this week, with thousands of Filipinos still displaced from their homes.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro told a news conference Monday that help from foreign governments will ensure that the Philippine government can continue its relief work.

Every year life is lost because of tropical storms and it does seem to be a worsening factor that could be linked to global warning. Mud slides and flood’s are certainly on the increase and any hysteria is much warranted.

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J2B (not verified)

at 01:49 on September 29th, 2009

sorry to hear about so much suffering in your country.. I hope the international community will act quickly so further lives can be saved. I have friends with family there who have lost their homes but at least they are safe.

Babel-Fish

at 05:13 on September 30th, 2009

I am not a native of the Philippines I am a British National of whom end up on these shores 9 years ago and decided its a good place to retire early to because of the economy and my love for the tropics.

I am glad to here your friends are safe we know my partner sister safe, thankfully most of her family are here on Negros.

djermano

at 04:15 on September 29th, 2009

My suggestion Bob is during the rebuilding to build houses that float. At least that is a refuge, in itself. No money to do drainage people need to have something, to stay afloat. Strong houseboats can be made to sit on regular city home lots. When its dry, they just sit there, no problem I think. This should also be a policy in Bangladesh as well.

It seems one calmity after another in the world. My how I wish they would stop.

Rev. Jermano

Babel-Fish

at 05:05 on September 30th, 2009

I rent a nice house on a small hill 2 Miles from the beach a river that did flood this year runs by in a deep enough ravine. I am wise to the problems here unfortunately the Filipino citizens that lack funds and there are many can not go to the luxury of safe guards I can.

There however are many houses within flood risk areas that are built on stilts or pillars. The problem is flash floods when the rivers in the mountains flood into the cities that are already flooded by a tremendous downfall of rain. The strength of the currents was away everthing in their path. Building boat houses is not the complete answer nor on stilts unfortunaly though could help. The main problem with floods is the streams of mud and the supply of clean water and food and those silly useful things like soap, medicine etc.

Then there is the Comfort room problem and clearance of human waste etc. This gets to be a very heath threatening situation. If the clean up is not done quickly then many more people can die than caused by the original tropical storm and flood.

The Philippine government are used to natural disasters but this is the biggest for 42 years and of course the population has increased drastically. The Media shows that there is much worry and the total headache the government and teams on the ground are really facing. It such a situation where its obvious the clean up is going to take a long time.

djermano

at 07:48 on September 30th, 2009

Sorry to hear this Bob....And then this morning the Samoa Islands experienced a tsuami.

I think a house boat would do the trick. Just put enough old tires on the outside, so if it breaks loose, it will just bounce around., or stuff will bounce off it, without damaging it.

They can store water onboard and make their house boat a constant ready for disaster house.The stilts thing is kinda scarey to me. They could wash away and collapse. I would think going with the flow on top is the best for survival.

Wish you the best...

Rev. Jermano

Babel-Fish

at 04:09 on October 2nd, 2009

One of the biggest problems is that swatters build shacks and shanties on the river banks, seemingly its a risk that these swatters are prepared to take. It is illegal but laws are never really seriously enforced. At a guess 75% of the deaths were river bank related.