Saturday, September 26, 2009

Typhoon Ondoy Places Metro Manila and 25 other Provinces Under State of Calamity

The government has placed 25 provinces and Metro Manila hit by tropical storm "Ondoy" under a state of calamity, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Saturday.

Teodoro, who chairs the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), said in a briefing that local governments in places under a state of calamity are allowed to mobilize resources needed in rescue, evacuation and relief operations.

The provinces are Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon, Isabela, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, Marinduque, Camarines Norte, and Bataan.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the rains spawned by "Ondoy" in Metro Manila and nearby areas in a span of six hours on Saturday was the highest in 42 years.

Nathaniel Cruz, head of Pagasa's weather services bureau, told GMANews.TV that the rainfall volume from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday was measured at 341 millimeters, breaking the 334 mm recorded in June 1967.

Ondoy, which originated in the central Pacific Ocean, made landfall in the eastern province of Aurora before noon Saturday with maximum winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.

t was moving west-northwest across Central Luzon and was expected to exit into the South China Sea in the night.

At least 1,813 people in Metro Manila and Southern Luzon were evacuated from their homes due to floods brought by tropical storm 'Ondoy' (Ketsana).

The NDCCl, in its 2 p.m. report, said most of those evacuated were from San Mateo town in Rizal province.

Of the 363 families or 1,813 people evacuated, 260 families or 1,300 were from San Mateo town.

At least 25 villages in Marilao, Meycauayan, San Miguel and Bocaue in Bulacan were also flooded, with floodwaters reaching up to waist-high.

In Metro Manila, at least 33 villages in Marikina, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Quezon, Makati, Pasay, Pasig, Valenzuela and San Juan Cities were also flooded.

Floodwaters ranged from two feet to waist-high, and rendered several areas impassable to light vehicles.

At least 37 road sections in Metro Manila were not passable to light vehicles due to flooding.

Trips between Romblon Port and Sibuyan Island in Romblon province were canceled due to stormy weather.

Quick alert response teams of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Southern Luzon Command and the Health and Social Welfare Departments, police and Coast Guard were put on alert status in Southern Luzon.

'Help us'

Residents from several parts of Rizal province, adjacent to Manila, are pleading for help as flood waters brought by typhoon 'Ondoy' have exceeded six feet in some low-lying areas.

Salvador Manansala reported that several of his colleagues were trapped in their houses in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), and some had to climb to their rooftops to escape the rising waters.

"Tulungan nyo po sila. Hindi raw sila makababa (Please help them. They can't climb down)," Manansala said.

Typhoon Ondoy Disaster Emergency Hotlines

DISASTER EMERGENCY HOTLINES YOU CAN CALL:

These are the hotlines that our citizenry can call for disaster emergency situations, especially urgent rescue and relief needs.

National Disaster Coordinating Committee
911-1406
911-1873
911-1906
911-5061
912-0984
912-2665
912-3046
912-5296
912-5668

Help hotlines:
734-2118
734-2120

Bureau of Fire Protection, National Capital Region
729-5166
410-6254
413-8859
407-1230

Bureau of Fire Protection, Region III (Central Luzon)
Hotline (045) 9634376

Philippine Coast Guard
527-6136

Red Cross
143
911-1876
527-0000

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
136
896-6000

Taguig emergency hotline
1623

Meralco
16220
0917-5592824
0920-9292824

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. emergency hotlines
for dumptrucks going to flooded areas for rescue of stranded people:
0917 4226800
0917 2414864
0927 6751981

Sen. Dick Gordon (Philippine National Red Cross)
Please send address of stranded friends/family to
09178997898
0938444BOYS

Epic Flood "Ondoy Typhoon" hits Metro Manila

The rainfall brought by typhoon "Ondoy" to Metro Manila and nearby areas in a span of six hours on Saturday was the most in recorded history, surpassing the previous record for the metropolis in 1967, a weather bureau official said.

Nathaniel Cruz, weather services bureau head of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), told GMANews.TV that the total rainfall from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday surpassed the highest 24-hour rainfall that the weather bureau recorded 42 years ago.

Cruz said the total rainfall from "Ondoy" in the first six hours of the storm, which measured 341 millimeters, broke the record for the highest 24-hour rainfall of 334 millimeters in metropolitan Manila recorded by Pagasa in June 1967. It was still raining at the time of this posting, as flood waters brought large portions of a mega city of over ten million to a virtual standstill.

Climate change?

“We were able to break that record in a span of six hours. Today, we really experienced an extreme weather event," he said.

Cruz also said the amount of rain caused by "Ondoy" in six hours is almost equal to the average monthly rainfall in Metro Manila, which he pegged at 392 millimeters.

Ibig sabihin nito, ‘yung ulan natin ng anim na oras, halos malapit nang maabot ‘yung kalimitang dami ng ulan natin buwan-buwan (This means our rainfall for six hours today is nearly equal to our average monthly rainfall)," he explained.

Cruz attributed the extreme rainfall caused by "Ondoy" to climate change.

“This could be again a manifestation of climate change. Due to climate change, we should expect more extreme weather events like extreme rainfall," he said.

He added that other factors such as Metro Manila’s poor drainage system, pollution, and garbage problem might have worsened the effects of the heavy downpour that ‘Ondoy’ brought to the area.

“Maybe 10 years ago, maaaring hindi ganito kabaha (The floods might have not been this bad). The heavy flooding might have been caused by these other factors," he said.

Cruz also said that the extreme weather event might be nature’s way of calling the public's attention to human activities that contribute to climatic fluctuations. “Parang paalala lang ito sa mga tao," he said.

Ondoy (international code name Ketsana), the 15th tropical cyclone to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility, slammed into the eastern side of Luzon Island from the Pacific Ocean before noon Saturday with maximum winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.