DEADLY ONDOY LEAVES SCORES DEAD

By : Romy Sison

MANILA - AT LEAST 288 people died and more than forty were reported still missing as super typhoon Ketsana locally known as Typhoon Ondoy whipped the country particularly Metro Manila and suburbs last September 26 leaving its paths with widespread devastation. Reports said that as heavy rains poured within hours, flood waters rapidly rose in the rivers of Pasig, and Marikina where thousands of shanties are built nearby and along these riverbanks. Hundreds of houses in these areas were almost submerged in water and residents were forced to stay on top of their roofs helpless as other people watched in utter disbelief of this phenomenon not in four decades as one that was known as” Mayo 28 in 1961. Emergency evacuation centers set up
Drenched - Residents wait to be evacuated from a partially submerged house during flooding in Bocaue, North of Manila caused by Ondoy
to provide shelters were insufficient as thousands of people virtually cramped where food and potable water were lacking and fear of disease outbreak was imminent. Meanwhile, in Malacanang, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo immediately ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to dispatch and mobilize all detachments and all government agencies such as the Department of National Defense, the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Philippine Red Cross, the Department of Health and other agencies to make available all equipment and rush to rescue and aid the typhoon victims. The president boarded a military vehicle and scourged the devastated areas to assess the extent of the damage caused by the killer typhoon.

The International Red Cross has immediately responded and assisted in rescue operations and distribution of relief goods. The US and Canada were among the first who responded to aid the typhoon victims. Hardest hit were Marikina City, Pasig City, Cainta, Rizal, Quezon City, Antipolo City, Taytay Montalban and San Mateo all in Rizal province while Manila and Makati were also reported flooded up to hip level. Many shanties along the riverbanks of Marikina were believed washed away by the flood waters even as reports were belied that the massive flood waters was caused by the massive water released from the dams in Bulacan and Angat as the said dams reportedly could not contain the enormous volume of rainwater. The government authorities announced however that the real cause of the massive flooding was the non-stop heavy downpour in twenty four hours which was reportedly equivalent to one month of rain water.

( As of this writing, another typhoon named Peping battered Northern Luzon and has reportedly wreck havoc in Cagayan Valley, etc., and 3 were reportedly killed in Isabela and possibly more in its deadly trail )