Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) - Unwarned Philippine Disaster

September 26, 2009 - Saturday was a very normal rainy day for the Philippines, at first. It is very typical for a tropical country to encounter typhoons with approximately 26 - 30 entering the Philippine archipelago every year. Three to five of those will directly hit the capital - Manila.

But none have expected that Saturday noon's excessive flooding would arrive. Drowning 80% of the entire Metro Manila (Philippine Capital) with mud, water and garbage. The capital was put onto a "state of calamity" by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo giving all local cities the power to use the emergency funds for rescue, relief and temporary shelter.

Cars were hurled by strong currents.


Palmera, Quezon City. September 26, 2009. (http://saabmagalona.tumblr.com/)







FEU-NRMF Hospital, Quezon City. September 26, 2009.
(Photo From:Harold Bernardo)






People were pushed away on the streets.

20 feet deep floods.

People on rooftops awaiting rescuers.

People surfing on water lilies, bumps on bridges and were never found again.

Main highways flooded waist-high and neck-high.

Even my place was not spared from the disaster. For 40 years of stay, my parents never encountered any floods happening on our street. Luckily we were on higher ground but with 2-3 more water spills from La Mesa Dam, we would soon be gone too.

As of writing 240 people were found dead on different areas. Some were stuck on mud, drowned by flash floods, electrocuted by the power wires, injured by foreign objects, trapped in their own houses, churches and even cars. May it be rich or poor, no one was spared from the wrath of the flood made by typhoon Ondoy (internationally known as Ketsana).

The unannounced Water Dam spills - Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, (which were denied by officials thereafter) added a lot of water volume pushing all the people living nearby creeks and rivers out of their houses and destroying everything the huge and strong current faced.

Sunday, September 27, a lot of people were still left unrescued on the top of their roofs. Nothing left to eat, cold from night and short drizzles. By Monday, the sun has shone and together with this light we saw the wrath the typhoon has left behind.

Foundations, support groups, politicians, brands here and there were already on its move helping these people. Volunteers repacking, accepting, sorting goods for affected people. With no food, shelter and clothes to wear, where would they start?

Depression is in the air. But it is never in the nature of the Filipinos to just sit there and wait for the help the government would give. They stand, they start from a mess and rebuild their dreams again.

Disclaimer: Only the North Fairview Photos are owned by me. The rest are from all the other sources in the internet.