Typhoon Ondoy Floods Metro Manila

On September 26, 2009,  Metro Manila experienced one of its worst flooding ever. Thousands of people were stranded and the death toll has already risen to 75 as of this writing. What started as continuous rain on a quiet Friday night silently turned into a national calamity overnight.  Dams were open to prevent overflow and that in turn added to the drainage problems Metro Manila is already experiencing.

The floods quickly rose and forced people to seek shelter on top of their roofs. Whole subdivisions were submerged, structures collapsed, cars flooded in. Some were even to be unfortunately to be trapped and drowned. Rescuers responded swiftly but were met with strong resistance in the currents. They have rubber boats but they lack motorized boats that can fight through the current.

All government agencies were working hand in hand with private sectors from foundation, media organizations, multinational corporatations, to the next door neighbor volunteer. The Filipino has shown tremendous spirit and care today. Everyone contributed in their own ways through donations in kind or cash, volunteer efforts, or information dissemination.

After 24 hours, there are still people waiting to be rescued but most of the nation is already cleaning up and getting back up. A next typhoon(Pepeng) is coming in a few days. I hope its not as bad and people could recover quickly enough from Ondoy to prepare for Pepeng.