The country tries to get back to normalcy after the monsoon rain floods of last week. There is serious effort from Malacanang to execute flood control plans that have ‘slept’ in government office filing cabinets for many years- cisterns, dikes and dams for the most- heavily flooded areas during the rainy seasons. Meantime, for the more urgent concerns, we are on ‘rehabilitation’ mode- as the waters recede, we can see residents cleaning their dearest homes and clearing outside perimeters of debris that floods brought with them. Power has come back in most areas of MetroManila and slowly things will hopefully get back to normal as workers gear up to going back to their offices, plantas and other places of work to earn their living. Pupils and students will hopefully resume their trek to school this week- though many schools in Marikina, Pasig, and Cainta cities and other towns in Rizal Province may have to wait awhile pending further relocation of families whose residences were totally wrecked and who are now staying in many schoolbuildings in those areas.
‘Nightmarish’ were the days of the previous week when many of our countrymen suffered the onslaught of a nameless ‘habagat’ that brought in volumes of rains, targeting well- populated Luzon and venting its ire on the most populous urban center of MetroManila.
‘Tameme’ were many who had not expected the rains and winds to be as heavy. Once again, Marikina City, many times in the past declared as the cleanest nationwide, topped the list of the ‘heavily devastated’ as waters from higher bayans in the province of Rizal poured their rainwater accumulations down to the Marikina River who could not contain the heavy volume and exceeded the water alert levels thereby spilling over and causing the rainwaters to flood riverbank residential areas.
The last most devastating typhoon to hit our area of MetroManila was Ondoy in 2009- though the pain of its visit still rankles in the minds of former flood victims, it nevertheless left lessons that have brought about a better sense of preparedness of citizens for calamities such as last week’s. Homes had semblances of emergency kits- flashlights and esperma, extra foodstuff and rice, purified drinking water, rainboots, medicine for colds,coughs and fever, wound- dressing paraphernalia, too. Local government units took out their rubber boats and sagwan from storage, activated their disaster- alert system of relief and rescue operations, readied evacuation centers, and generally made themselves available to their constituents, many going the extra- mile to make life for the seriously affected a little more bearable on those very trying days.
Marami daw kulang- kulang ang rubber boats, kulang ang space sa evacuation centers, kulang ang pagkain served in those centers, kulang ang drinking water, etcetera, etcetera. As always, most citizens rallied and were able to hurdle yet another trial in their already- trying lives, allowing them to return to their homes, clean up, and start continuing with whatever life they have led before. Ninety nine flood- related fatalities, hundreds of thousands of affected families, translating to millions of citizens who will not attempt to rebuild their lives. Meantime, the government health department is on the ready, expecting further cases of illnesses resulting from exposure to the rains and floods – respiratory ailments mostly; and from dirty floodwaters- leptospirosis . Nairaraos na naman ng Pinoy ang kanyang buhay sa pagkakataong ito.
Pero hindi pa po tapos- first chapter pa lang, kumbaga. Weather forecasters have already announced the formation of a low pressure area east of Northern Luzon that has intensified into a tropical depression locally codenamed ‘Helen’. Helen is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon (the habagat again) that is feared to bring rains over Southern Luzon and the western part of Mindanao. We brace ourselves for any eventuality this third week of August.
I know that most are making their home preparations already- the emergency once again, batteries to make the flashlight and transistor radio work, stacks of canned goods and the can opener, too. Praktisado na ang marami sa atin.
We are at last, learning to live in this part of the earth, in this tropical country that can be a paradise or a hellish experience. We are now adjusting to an environment going mad after years of neglect committed by our own selves.
I hope that a big part of our ‘lessons learned’ in past heavy floodings is the most important of all- appreciating our world and caring for its resources- the plants and trees, seas and mountains, the protection of an ecosystem that will ensure the this earth will be enjoyed by many generations more.
For no matter how many billions of pesos are poured into the construction of mega dikes and dams to contain floodwaters, no matter how complete our emergency kits for flood eventualities, and no matter how high we build our residences from the ground, we can not be really sure that our families and properties will be safe if we ourselves, acting as citizens of this earth, have neglected to do our part- learning the value of discipline in the way we do our home tasks tulad ng tamang pagtatapon ng basura, being prudent in the manner we use up resources from nature (water, trees, bounties from the seas and forests), and developing a genuine appreciation of our world and our lives.
THANK YOU, TORONTO!
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